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Revision as of 22:58, 6 February 2006 by 68.170.124.67 (talk) (→External links)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)VeriChip is a human-implantable RFID (radio frequency identification) device from VeriChip Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Applied Digital Solutions of Delray Beach, Florida.
Overview
The VeriChip is world’s first and only FDA-approved human-implantable RFID (radio frequency identification) microchip. About the size 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 be performed in a physician’s office and takes only a few seconds.
Primarily marketed for medical applications, the VeriChip can link patients to their password-protected medical history, advance directives, important contact information and other related information in VeriChip-enabled emergency rooms during the first few minutes of care. As of January 2006, 68 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.
Controversy
While some Christian leaders have come out against the device, speculating that it might be the Mark of the Beast, 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, support the VeriChip as a useful tool in sharing medical information with health care providers in emergency situations.
Privacy advocates have also protested the VeriChip, labeling all such RFID devices as “spychips”. While the debate continues, VeriChip’s passive RFID transmission capabilities (limited to a matter of inches) and user-controlled information sharing limit the risk of any type of GPS tracking capability or identity theft.
External links
- VeriChip Corporation – Corporate Website
- VeriMed – VeriChip’s Medical Use
- Washington Post: Implantable Medical ID Approved by FDA
- EPIC VeriChip Page
- KUTV: Healthy Living: Microchips For People
- Former Bush official to get RFID tag
- Spychips.com: Verichip hacked - press release
- The Irate Cinema Underground has made many films concerning the Verichip and its possible role in ultimate surveillance and end-times prophecy.