FDA approves computer chip for humans

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6237364/

The Associated Press

Updated: 6:38 p.m. ET Oct. 13, 2004

WASHINGTON - Medical milestone or privacy invasion? A tiny computer chip approved Wednesday for implantation in a patient’s arm can speed vital information about a patient’s medical history to doctors and hospitals. But critics warn that it could open new ways to imperil the confidentiality of medical records.

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The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that Applied Digital Solutions of Delray Beach, Fla., could market the VeriChip, an implantable computer chip about the size of a grain of rice, for medical purposes.

With the pinch of a syringe, the microchip is inserted under the skin in a procedure that takes less than 20 minutes and leaves no stitches. Silently and invisibly, the dormant chip stores a code that releases patient-specific information when a scanner passes over it.

Think UPC code. The identifier, emblazoned on a food item, brings up its name and price on the cashier’s screen.

Chip's dual uses raise alarm

The VeriChip itself contains no medical records, just codes that can be scanned, and revealed, in a doctor’s office or hospital. With that code, the health providers can unlock that portion of a secure database that holds that person’s medical information, including allergies and prior treatment. The electronic database, not the chip, would be updated with each medical visit.

The microchips have already been implanted in 1 million pets. But the chip’s possible dual use for tracking people’s movements — as well as speeding delivery of their medical information to emergency rooms — has raised alarm.

“If privacy protections aren’t built in at the outset, there could be harmful consequences for patients,” said Emily Stewart, a policy analyst at the Health Privacy Project.

To protect patient privacy, the devices should reveal only vital medical information, like blood type and allergic reactions, needed for health care workers to do their jobs, Stewart said.

An information technology guru at Detroit Medical Center, however, sees the benefits of the devices and will lobby for his center’s inclusion in a VeriChip pilot program.

“One of the big problems in health care has been the medical records situation. So much of it is still on paper,” said David Ellis, the center’s chief futurist and co-founder of the Michigan Electronic Medical Records Initiative.

'Part of the future of medicine'

As “medically mobile” patients visit specialists for care, their records fragment on computer systems that don’t talk to each other.

“It’s part of the future of medicine to have these kinds of technologies that make life simpler for the patient,” Ellis said. Pushing for the strongest encryption algorithms to ensure hackers can’t nab medical data as information transfers from chip to reader to secure database, will help address privacy concerns, he said.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday announced $139 million in grants to help make real President Bush’s push for electronic health records for most Americans within a decade.

William A. Pierce, an HHS spokesman, could not say whether VeriChip and its accompanying secure database of medical records fit within that initiative.

“Exactly what those technologies are is still to be sorted out,” Pierce said. “It all has to respect and comport with the privacy rules.”

Applied Digital gave away scanners to a few hundred animal shelters and veterinary clinics when it first entered the pet market 15 years ago. Now, 50,000 such scanners have been sold.

To kickstart the chip’s use among humans, Applied Digital will provide $650 scanners for free at 200 of the nation’s trauma centers.

Implantation costs $150 to $200

In pets, installing the chip runs about $50. For humans, the chip implantation cost would be $150 to $200, said Angela Fulcher, an Applied Digital spokeswoman.

Fulcher could not say whether the cost of data storage and encrypted transmission of medical information would be passed to providers.

Because the VeriChip is invisible, it’s also unclear how health care workers would know which unconscious patients to scan. Company officials say if the chip use becomes routine, scanning triceps for hidden chips would become second nature at hospitals.

Ultimately, the company hopes patients who suffer from such ailments as diabetes and Alzheimer’s or who undergo complex treatments, like chemotherapy, would have chips implanted. If the procedure proves as popular for use in humans as in pets, that could mean up to 1 million chips implanted in people. So far, just 1,000 people across the globe have had the devices implanted, very few of them in the United States.

The company’s chief executive officer, Scott R. Silverman, is one of a half dozen executives who had chips implanted. Silverman said chips implanted for medical uses could also be used for security purposes, like tracking employee movement through nuclear power plants.

Such security uses are rare in the United States.

Meanwhile, the chip has been used for pure whimsy: Club hoppers in Barcelona, Spain, now use the microchip to enter a VIP area and, through links to a different database, speed payment much like a smartcard.

so is there's a 'Chip Friendly' version on 12oz in the works?

They (the medical community) has been implanting chips and

locating devices in animals for years. Most house pets these days

have id chip and most wild bears have tracking devices. If Ranger Rick

can track Yogi across a state park, I'm sure the federali can get our

position in a busy city.

:spy:

Great. This will shortly be followed by numerous IMs from my conspiracy-loving "friend" that I used to know in high school, linking me to Alex Jones' articles and rants on the state of the nation. Great. Grand. Wonderful.

i love the fact that club hoppers in Barcelona have gotten so fed up with the process of carrying money around that they have opted to have something implanted under their skin. we all know how annoying it is to have that cumbersome paper in our pockets.

Would I get the chip?

No

Could it, on a very restricted level do some good?

Yes

Obsta Principlis - resist the beginnings

The only thing surprising about this whole thing is that they are charging for them and not forcing us to get them. Hell, one state is going to put them in their drivers' liscences.

The beginning of the end. There are already many cops in Mexico with implanted chips that are not medical in nature at all.

i'm not afraid of technology.

for people with extensive and detailed medical histories, this could be great.

my mom's medical file is about ten feet thick.

it would do a lot of good to be able to carry all that information around with her easily.

you would not believe how hard it is to get data transmitted from one doctor to another.

doctors and hospitals also never ever wanna give out their records, even to the patient themself!

i know, i've experienced this.

it was only slightly easier for me because i work in a hospital.

you also have to pay to have your records released, and often to have them transported, plus the time it takes for that to happen.

sure there are gonna be drawbacks, there always are.

but i'm down to make the transition to paperless for most things.

implantations don't bother me too much eaither, considering the pointless reasons people get implants now.

my coworker's roommate got butt implants last year.

and they don't have any information in them

:lol:

The militia movement has been bitching to high heaven about this since the early 1990's. There is a big possibility that criminals, sex offenders, mentally ill people, etc. will eventually begin receiving these chips. They will never "force" people to take them. It will be like the courtesy cards at grocery stores. You can pay full price for lettuce, or you can use your courtesy card and get a 15% discount. Giving the grocery store chain your name and personnal information about how often you shop and buy lettuce seems a small price to pay to get that 15%.

So, pay a $25 co-pay at your HMO doctor's office, or "get the chip" and pay $5. Easy choice, for 90% of Americans. From that moment on, you are IN THE SYSTEM FOR KEEPS.

many modern inventions were viewed with fear and contempt when they first stepped on the scene

anyone with a social security number is "in the system for keeps"

and, i don't think my mom is to worried about shit like that

the poor thing just wants adequate medical care.

people who don't understand the benefits suddenly will if they develop a chronic disease.

no thanks doc

i wouldn't let anyone give me another method of tracking me, even if initially intended for one specific use. just remember that your SSN was intended for the sole purpose of your SS account with the US government. now it's mandatory to have one if you want to work, go to school, or, hmmph...go to the doctor.

The whole idea of invasive computing is both fascinating and frightening. The possibilities could be unlimited. Imagine having your house learn your preferences, so when you walk into a room, the room can automatically adjust it's temp to your liking? Or being able to communicate with your pc at home from work. But think about how bad things can go if something isn't working properly. Or worse yet, hackers...

There's been work surrounding this field for a while, both invasive (computing within your body) and non-invasive (for example, having the chips implanted in your clothing). Very interesting to say the least.

but i wouldn't do it...

like most everything in the world today this can be good or bad depending on your view of it and how its used.

as a means to provide medical information...this is one of the greatest ideas to come around. this will undoubtedly save many, many lives.

technically, yes it could be used by the government or any other agency to track people. but the honest truth here is that they really don't need it. most citizens have already offered up a voluntary invasion of privacy. cell phones, credit cards, grocery cards and bank cards all basically allow the authorities to figure out where someone is. I don't know all that many people that can claim they don't have 1 or more of those items.

Steve Austin---You are 100% correct, and this is why there are a lot of people who go to great lengths to avoid any of the things that you listed. I have a bunch of friends who are tramps who have NO Driver's License, NO Social Security Card, NO cell phone, NO bank account, etc., etc. I know some militia types who are almost that extreme, but more from a principled stand because of their understanding of what the Constitution says. They do not believe that the Government has the right to require them to get a Driver's License, for instance, or insurance, or licence plates and registration for their vehicles. They think that the Government is regulating a great number of things that it has absolutely no right to regulate.

When I saw "Enemy of the State," I went with some friends from the militia. They did not see anything futuristic about that film. As far as they are concerned, that situation with video cameras and computers, etc. exists RIGHT NOW. Their only complaint was that the filmmakers did the movie-going public a disservice by making the protagonist a black man, because it turned the struggle into another black-guy-against-the-evil-white-people story. From the viewpoint of the militia, the "intelligence community" is completely out of control and power mad ALREADY.

They felt the same way about the movie "Conspiracy Theory." By having him play the taxi driver as a wacky nut case, it was just a way of slapping the conspiracy people in the face, of disrespecting them, EVEN THOUGH they have uncovered the foundations of some very secret conspiracies--the Kennedy assassination, the King assassination, the Waco Massacre, the Oklahoma City bombing, and so forth.

I don't think these movies were made just by happenstance. I don't think Hollywood does anything except for a very deliberate reason. But, like many of you, I cannot understand why the American people are so apathetic about what's going on around them, except I see it from a completely different perspective.

Use your brain. Come to your own conclusions. Think for yourself.

If I recall correctly this chip only carries a unique identification number which is used in conjunction with a medical record database. It is not actually on the chip.

you know what...all this shit happening these days was all spelled out in books like "behold a pale horse" and "the illuminati and the 666"

i read those books in like 94...got all paranoid for a while...dismissed it...but now i'm starting to get paranoid again...

Originally posted by war pigs@Oct 24 2004, 01:40 PM

you know what...all this shit happening these days was all spelled out in books like "behold a pale horse" and "the illuminati and the 666"

 

i read those books in like 94...got all paranoid for a while...dismissed it...but now i'm starting to get paranoid again...

Quoted post

the begining of the end is here

Originally posted by war pigs@Oct 24 2004, 01:40 PM

 

i read those books in like 94...got all paranoid for a while...dismissed it...but now i'm starting to get paranoid again...

Quoted post

uhoh....

this is real fukn scary, but as you all know this is all bible prophecy,and we are all fukn screwewd BIG TIME!!Now all were missing is ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT....it always starts out small and for convenience only,but soon we probably wont be able to buy or sell without..........THE MARK OF THE BEAST!!!!!!!!!you better get a fukn gun

ok so here is a article thats a couple years old

http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,...n_story_related

now all of you people who are all paraniod about microchips well you have a right to be, but dont worry chips wont mean shit, even if they do implant you with one i bet there is someone out there who can block the signal remove it etc, and think about this fake chips you can get one implanted and just like that you are some new person, i have no fear of technology i understand it will be used for purposes other then those for which it was intended.

now this article about britan raises some serious questions for me though, and it scares the shit out of me to becuase of the implications.

Originally posted by alphabet soup@Oct 24 2004, 11:26 PM

this is real fukn scary, but as you all know this is all bible prophecy,and we are all fukn screwewd BIG TIME!!Now all were missing is ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT....it always starts out small and for convenience only,but soon we probably wont be able to buy or sell without..........THE MARK OF THE BEAST!!!!!!!!!you better get a fukn gun

Quoted post

hey one world goverment wouldnt be all that bad, dont fear the illuminati new world order its your best bud...............

http://newamericancentury.org

they already have the ball rolling

bump for american existing as the lone superpower in the world..

peace to global american rule...

dude this shit is all old old news for me atleast look back in past posts by me atleast a year ago and i warned you all about this chip.................fuck the goverment and there chip.............. :huh2:

Originally posted by KaBar2@Oct 22 2004, 08:01 AM

Steve Austin---You are 100% correct, and this is why there are a lot of people who go to great lengths to avoid any of the things that you listed. I have a bunch of friends who are tramps who have NO Driver's License, NO Social Security Card, NO cell phone, NO bank account, etc., etc. I know some militia types who are almost that extreme, but more from a principled stand because of their understanding of what the Constitution says. They do not believe that the Government has the right to require them to get a Driver's License, for instance, or insurance, or licence plates and registration for their vehicles. They think that the Government is regulating a great number of things that it has absolutely no right to regulate.

 

When I saw "Enemy of the State," I went with some friends from the militia. They did not see anything futuristic about that film. As far as they are concerned, that situation with video cameras and computers, etc. exists RIGHT NOW. Their only complaint was that the filmmakers did the movie-going public a disservice by making the protagonist a black man, because it turned the struggle into another black-guy-against-the-evil-white-people story. From the viewpoint of the militia, the "intelligence community" is completely out of control and power mad ALREADY.

 

They felt the same way about the movie "Conspiracy Theory." By having him play the taxi driver as a wacky nut case, it was just a way of slapping the conspiracy people in the face, of disrespecting them, EVEN THOUGH they have uncovered the foundations of some very secret conspiracies--the Kennedy assassination, the King assassination, the Waco Massacre, the Oklahoma City bombing, and so forth.

 

I don't think these movies were made just by happenstance. I don't think Hollywood does anything except for a very deliberate reason. But, like many of you, I cannot understand why the American people are so apathetic about what's going on around them, except I see it from a completely different perspective.

Use your brain. Come to your own conclusions. Think for yourself.

Quoted post

i totally agree. Its quite sad how being intelligent is not 'cool' these days and most conspiracy theorists are just dismissed as psychos, or paranoid or whacky.

This is what the media uses uses against working class people - fear. IMO.

oh yeh and fuck that chip.

personally, i think there's a whole lot of motherfuckers overestimating their importance to the world.

i break the law every single day. either i vandalize something, rack something or at the very least, drive way too fast....none of those things are putting me on anyone's 'most wanted' list.

i know it's real cool to think you're 'subverting the man' and working to bring down 'babylon' and all, but honestly, even if you're out selling crack and shooting people, no one 'really' gives a shit about you. sure, there are a lot of 'activists' with FBI files, but the FBI doesn't really care. they had files on half the 9.11 hijackers....alot of good that did, right?

if the governtment wants to track you down they dont need some crazy scanning device (that can easily be removed with a swiss army knife) they can just use yahoo people search like everyone else.

i know it's cool to be paranoid cause you're so gangster, but it's even cooler to be so gangster that you dont give a fuck who knows what.

seeking/tell somebody you saw somethin motherfucker

well, this isn't even the big story as far as tracking and control.

RFID chips are the shit. verichip is one kind of RFID chip.

others in the works are tiny ass(potentially 1/3 of a mm wide)

transponder chips that will be embedded in everything you can imagine purchasing. clothes, soup, spray paint, hairbrushes, you name it. chances are some of us have already used them without even knowing. you want to go bombing? well,

your paint, your shoes, your ballcap, your watch could all potentially

be giving out your exact real time location via radio signals to a cop

around the corner with RFID receiver technology.

and guess who's pushing this hard? our great neighborhood friends,

walmart. this will be the de facto technology for tracking anything.

tracking hairbrushes? it would be impossible to have a different unique signal for every single individual item made.

im about as worried about this as i am about catching the 'gay' from sharing the same drinking glass with a homo.

zzzzzzzzzzzzz. wake me when it's interesting.

i mean, lets be honest here....everyone that thinks the govt really gives a flying fuck where you are at, please raise your hand so i can make a lengthy post mocking every single aspect of your pathetic life.

no, it's not impossible.

the potential is you could track every single item on the planet with RFID

chips. of course the tracking will have innocent impetus for many companies,

but there are obviously great advantages to this technology for law enforcement

and the military.