Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com
Published - Friday, April 08, 2005
Lawmaker dips into microchip fears
MADISON — State Rep. Marlin Schneider doesn't want government getting under your skin.
The Wisconsin Rapids Democrat is introducing a bill that would prohibit anyone, including the government and employers, from requiring microchip implants in people.
Sound far-fetched, like something from a sci-fi flick? It might be. But Schneider, who's known as a privacy advocate, isn't waiting until the first case to be reported. Technology once reserved for tracking records on pets and livestock is migrating to the human race in medical, security and identity verification applications.
So far, only willing participants are known to have had the rice grain-sized devices implanted just below their skin. But Schneider said it's just a matter of time before someone takes the technology too far.
"Eventually, people will find reasons why everyone should have these chips implanted," Schneider said.
"We're living in a surveillance society, where nobody is free to do anything ... At least with Orwell, you had to talk to a TV in the wall," Schneider said.
VeriChip Corp., a division of Florida-based Applied Digital Solutions, manufactures the Radio Frequency Identification microchips. When activated by a hand-held scanner, the chip emits a 16-digit code on a radio frequency.
Applied Digital sold about 7,000 chips for use in humans last year, compared with more than three million sold for use in animals, according to Electronic Engineering Times.
The product has met with some success with parents who want to be able to have their children identified in case of an emergency. But other human applications seem poised to take off.
Late last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved VeriChip for medical applications, most commonly to connect patients with medical records.
Applied Digital's privacy policy and vendor contract prohibits involuntary implantation of the device, said Angela Fulcher, a company spokeswoman. "It should always strictly be a voluntary procedure," she said.
Among the most prominent known recipients of a VeriChip is John Halamka, the chief information officer for Harvard Medical School. If Halamka was ever incapacitated and needed immediate medical attention, properly equipped emergency room staff could simply scan his upper right arm and call up his medical history.
Halamka said he embraced the idea of being "chipped," in part, to spur discussion about the emerging technology. But he said no one should be involuntarily injected.
Other applications, however, aren't regulated by the FDA. Applied Digital also touts security, defense and homeland security applications.
Mexico Attorney General Rafael Macado de la Choncha and as many as 160 of his employees were injected with VeriChips. As employees walk through scanners, the chips grant security clearance.
Applied Digital also has combined the microchip technology with cell phone and global positioning system technology, Electronic Engineering Times reported.
Halamka acknowledges the technology raises ethics and privacy concerns. Someone equipped with the right type of scanner could download his identifying number without his knowledge, which is why he chose not to include any personal information on his chip.
RFID technology also has been used by businesses to track packages and inventory, and in magnetic-swipe "club cards" to track buying habits.
Some stores are reconsidering use of such cards, but some consumers apparently don't mind the intrusion.
Nightclubs in Scotland and Spain, offer customers a microchip implant that gives them the ability to charge drinks to an account without a credit card. As the patron moves through the nightclub, staff can have the customer's favorite drink on the bar before the patron sits down.
Tom Sheehan can be reached at tsheehan@madison.com or (608) 252-6198.
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