VeriChip A tamper-proof identification device from VeriChip Corporation (Division of Applied Digital Solutions), Delray Beach, FL (www.adsx.com) that is implanted under the skin of a person for medical or security purposes. Using RFID technology, a wand is waved over the skin to pick up the unique number stored in the chip, which is no larger than the tip of a ball point pen. In October 2004, the chip was officially approved for U.S. medical applications by the Food and Drug Administration. In an outpatient procedure, the VeriChip is implanted with a small incision and local anesthesia. See RFID. VeriChip is a human-implantable RFID (radio frequency identification) device from VeriChip Corporation. VeriChip is the first Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved human-implantable RFID microchip. VeriChip received United States FDA approval in 2004. About twice the length of a grain of rice, the device is typically implanted above the triceps area of an individual's right arm. Once scanned at the proper frequency, the VeriChip responds with a unique 16-digit number which can correlate the user to information stored on a database for identity verification, medical records access and other uses. The insertion procedure is performed under local anesthetic and once inserted, is invisible to the naked eye. The process can easily be performed in a physician's office. As of May 2007, 116 U.S. hospitals had signed up to adopt the technology in their emergency rooms. The company estimates that approximately 2000 people currently have a VeriChip worldwide. In August of 2006 the first known life-saving incident involving a VeriChip took place in Hackensack, New Jersey. The New Jersey Star Ledger newspaper reported on August 7 2006 that Bergen County Police Sgt William Koretsky, a VeriChip subscriber, was rushed to Hackensack University Medical Center with head trauma following a crash during high speed police pursuit. Doctors at Hackensack University Medical Center were able to access medical records by placing a hand held scanner over Sgt. Koretsky's arm and accessing the VeriChip database. Controversy Privacy Privacy advocates have also protested the VeriChip, warning of potential abuse and denouncing these types of RFID devices as "spychips". The primary concern is a government's ability to monitor someone's movement against his or her will, as governments in the US and much of Europe do with cell phones, the "black boxes" in many cars, and public security cameras. VeriChip has a very small range and can only be read when a reader is held up closely to the location of the inserted chip.[1] Identity Theft: Privacy advocates caution that the information contained in this chip could easily be stolen, so that storing anything private in it would be to risk identity theft. As the human-implantable microchip only contains a unique 16-digit electronic identifier, the unique number is used only for such purposes as accessing personal medical information in a password-protected database or assessing whether somebody has authority to enter into a high-security area. Although according to the company that makes VeriChip, it does not contain any other information beyond this unique 16-digit number, it could be scanned of and used to access the database.[2] Security Data Accessibility: Anyone possessing a VeriChip reader can read the human-implantable RFID microchip; the data is unencrypted, and VeriChip does not have the functionality to authorize only certain people to read it. Being a passive RFID microchip containing only a unique 16-digit identifier it can be read by a VeriChip reader held up closely to the location of the inserted chip. This concern can be partially mitigated by using such a chip without implanting it, as by inserting it into the wristband of a watch, which can then be removed at will. The database associated with the device currently contains only health related information, with no financial information or social security number being stored. The information itself is controlled and directed by the subscriber. Specifically because it is technically possible to extract the information on a VeriChip, the chip contains only a nondescript 16 digit number. To access the associated personal health record of a subscriber, one must possess a secure logon that is provided only to participating medical facilities, and a record is made every time anybody logs on and accesses a subscriber's record. An implanted VeriChip was cloned in January 2006 as a demonstration; instructions for cloning VeriChips are available on the web.[3][4] Religious Concerns Revelation: Some Christian leaders have come out against the device, speculating that it might be the fulfillment of a prophecy where each person is marked for identification by the corrupt government headed by the Antichrist. This is one of the most famous passages of The Book of Revelation, a section of the Bible thought by most to be prophecies of the end times. At 13:16-18, a common translation is: And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and really poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred sixty and six. This concern is compounded by the fact that, according to a recent ABC News article, there have been reports of other chips, not made by VeriChip, being implanted in their right hand.[5]. Bodily Sanctity: In addition, there are various religions and sects which abhor the penetration of the human body, as with surgery or the implantation of devices. An implanted VeriChip violates the mores of such groups, though not if worn in a piece of jewellery. Trivia * Katherine Albrecht said, "A man with a chip in his arm may soon find himself wondering whether that cute gal on the next bar stool likes his smile or wants to clone his VeriChip. It gives new meaning to the burning question, 'Does she want my number?'" * Liz McIntyre, co-author of Spychips commenting on the lengthy VeriChip waiver of liability for product failure: "I wouldn't buy toilet paper that required that kind of a disclaimer, never mind a product that's supposed to serve as a lifeline in an emergency." * Some health experts including Former Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson, who sits on the board of directors of VeriChip's parent company Applied Digital Solutions and holds a considerable share of the VeriChip, support the VeriChip as a "useful tool in sharing medical information with health care providers in emergency situations". In popular culture * Modern Extreme Band Job for a Cowboy have spoken out against the idea of the VeriChip in a song appropriately entitled Embedded. It speaks of enslavement prejudice, the biblical prophecy, and corruption. See also * VeriChip Corporation
