Microchip Implants in Humans
In 2002, VeriChip received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to distribute human implantable chips. By the year 2004, interest in chip implantation began gaining ground. However, there is a lot of controversy about human chip implantation and if it is ethical. Learn about microchip implants and what implications they have.
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History
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The first time an implanted microchip was ever used was in 1998 by a British scientist who just employed its use for convenience. For example, many things in his house were automated because the RFID signal coming from his chip was triggering certain events. Afterward, the RFID chip became a plausible idea for the convenience of the public, but some people question whether it will always stay that way.
What the Chips Do
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Implantable microchips are designed to do a number of things. The primary function of the chip is to act like a tiny memory device that stores data and is picked up through radio signals that trigger it to respond to external requests for data. An example of a practical use for implanted microchips is the capability of storing the medical history of a patient or the bank information of a person who wants the convenience of being able to access their bank account without a debit card.
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Privacy Concerns
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Since the human microchip implants have been approved, many activist and human rights groups have been speaking out against the chip due to issues concerning the privacy of individuals. In 2007, the American Medical Association declared that it was a possible compromise to privacy to have microchips implanted because there is no palpable guarantee that data in microchips will remain protected. With new technology comes a new concern, especially one of security. In response to security concerns, chips were produced with high amounts of data encryption so that external parties would have difficulty interfering. It is kind of like WPA security on wireless networks, which does not allow others to use a wireless network unless they know the key, which can be any combination of numbers.
GPS Capabilities
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According to a press release by VeriChip, the corporation distributes a product called VeriTrace in response to the events of Hurricane Katrina. Basically, it implements GPS tracking capabilities, giving authorities the ability to track down missing people during disasters, among other things.
Choice or Not
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Since the inception of the chip, it remained a choice for you if you wanted the chip implanted or not. In response to the question of choice, some states have enacted Senate Bill 362 in 2007, which makes it illegal to force microchip implantation on any human being. The government also speaks out for privacy.
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- Photo Credit Wammes Waggel:Wikimedia Commons
