Chipping The Children For Safety
from the unintended-consequences dept
AMetamorphosis writes in with a link to the Wired News story about how the implantable RFID Verichip is being sold in Mexico - where it's being advertised as a way for a way for parents to keep track of their kids who might be kidnapped. There is, of course, a big debate over this. Some are worried about the civil liberties aspect of chipping your kid, while others are worried about kidnappers learning about these chips and deciding to use a knife to cut them out themselves. Of course, the biggest issue is that these chips might not actually do anything. If you recall, the VeriChip has a less than stellar history. The company that makes it, Applied Digital Solutions, repeatedly announced FDA approval when they didn't have it, and then broke the few rules they were given to receive FDA approval. They also decided to sue IBM - a company they owed money to, after IBM decided to collect the collateral promised on the loan Applied Digital didn't repay. So, it was no surprise over the summer when they announced their plans to focus on Mexico (no pesky American FDA) - though, it sounds like they're having plenty of problems down there as well.
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