You see, the chips are for our safety and convenience. And they are completely voluntary, that is, until they become mandatory. And they save you from that evil plague that is just simply everywhere, identiy-theft, so they protect your privacy too, so get chipped today! Yes, the chips are something wonderful, like manna from Heaven. Keep repeating this over and over and over in your mind and you will become a believer too, and all your meaningless little insignificant fears will get "chipped" away, one chip-upgrade at a time.......blah, blah, blah..........

(Where do they get these people? From another planet or is it the pit of Hell?)

Microchipping Agenda Propaganda Update

Chipping Away at Privacy Fears

Technology does not in itself threaten privacy and may, in fact, help to protect it

Implanting a rice-sized VeriChip is a voluntary action, and the product is provided by a private company. As long as government is not forcing anyone to get the chips, claims of privacy violations are about as compelling as arguments that reality TV violates the privacy of its participants. This month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a microchip that can be implanted in humans to provide access to medical records. Privacy regulation advocates were predictably horrified, but the chip does not create the privacy crisis some might imagine. Though RFID technology can save money, time and lives, when it comes to implanting it in grandma's arm to make sure doctors know exactly what to do when she shows up unconscious at the hospital, the "creepy factor" arises. Privacy regulation advocates argue that implanting chips in humans will bring about an Orwellian state, and some apocalyptic types see it as the "mark of the beast." While the issue is a rhetorical magnet, there are reasons why this private use of technology does not in itself threaten privacy and may, in fact, help to protect it in the long run.

First, no one is forcing people to get chipped. Implanting the rice-sized chip is a voluntary action, and the product is provided by a private company. As long as government is not forcing anyone to get the chips, claims of privacy violations are about as compelling as arguments that reality TV violates the privacy of its participants.

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Chipping-Away-at-Privacy-Fears-37704.html

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HOT TECHNOLOGY GETS UNDER THE SKIN

The Other Side of the FDA VeriChip Approval

While looking around the newest VeriChip scandal – as pointed out by CASPIAN, when the company trumpeted its success with the FDA it somehow forgot to mention the caveats and warnings associated with its approval – I noticed something odd. As investor publications have reported, Digital Angel has sold its share in Applied Digital Solutions. To fit this into perspective, though, you need the relationship between the two companies. Applied Digital Solutions owns the intellectual property associated with the “grain of rice” sized VeriChip, which it would now like to plant under everyone's skin so it can own access to our medical information. Digital Angel has the manufacturing contract. Digital Angel, until recently, owned a sizeable chunk of Applied Digital Solutions. Applied Digital Solutions is the majority owner of Digital Angel. And Digital Angel sold its stake in ADS.

http://makeashorterlink.com/?L2EA315A9

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Applied Digital Shares Jump on Chip OK

Shares of Applied Digital Solutions Inc. and Digital Angel Corp. soared Wednesday morning on news the companies' VeriChip implantable radio frequency identification microchip for humans has been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration for medical use in the United States. Applied Digital shares rose 90 cents, or more than 42 percent, to $3.02 on the Nasdaq, while shares of South St. Paul, Minn.-based Digital Angel Corp. were up 46 cents, or 17 percent, at $3.17 on the American Stock Exchange. The companies' VeriChip is about the size of a grain of rice and implanted under the skin in a brief outpatient procedure. Each chip is programed with a unique 16-digit number which is retrieved by briefly passing a proprietary scanner over the insertion site, and can be linked to a variety of security, financial and emergency health information. Digital Angel is the manufacturer of VeriChip and has licensed the technology to Applied Digital's VeriChip Corp. unit for human applications. The FDA does not regulate VeriChip with regard to its security, financial, personal identification and safety applications.

http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/ap/2004/10/13/ap1588622.html

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How To Profit from Wireless Barcodes

With companies of all sizes vying for their share of the rapidly expanding RFID industry, there is currently not a complete dominance by any one company. Companies involved in RFID range from heavily diversified companies such as Microsoft, IBM, General Electric, Texas Instruments and SAP to pure investment opportunities such as Zebra Technologies. Radio Frequency Identification, or RFID, has become a popular buzzword in the high tech tracking industry and was recently thrust in the media spotlight with headlines that read: "FDA Approves RFID Microchip for Humans." Despite talk of privacy concerns and abusive government control, pundits appear to be more focused on the potential growth of this technology and the fact that many well known names have embraced this method of increasing profit margins.

Perhaps most notable is Applied Digital Solutions (Nasdaq: ADSX) , a tech play that saw highs of $179 during the bubble only to collapse to sub $2 levels post bubble. It is now waking up from its coma based on this recent news. Obviously it is still on the minds of many investors as indicated by a classic high-volume rally (to the tune of 10 million shares of daily volume).

http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/How-To-Profit-from-Wireless-Barcodes-37456.html

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Hospital will tag its patients

Their location could then be tracked to within yards

People preparing to undergo surgery may worry about the risk of catching much-publicised infections such as MRSA or fret about medics carrying out the wrong operation. But one Birmingham surgeon - tired of continually chasing an inefficient paper trail of charts, checks and records - has come up with the world's first patient tagging system. David Morgan, a consultant ENT surgeon at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, believes using this tracking system will not only save time but also money, cutting the £350 million paid out in compensation by the NHS. Over the next three months, the plastic hospital wristbands patients wear throughout their stay will be replaced by the new matchbox-sized devices. The patient's location can then be tracked to within yards and their details fed to visual display units in theatres, anaesthetic rooms and waiting areas.

Mr Morgan, who has worked at the hospital since 1990, said: "There's always been concerns about matching the patient with the right treatment, such as people with similar names having the wrong operations.

http://makeashorterlink.com/?Z10D258A9

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Hospital Pioneers Patient Tagging

A British hospital is claiming a world first with the introduction of an electronic tagging system for patients.

People undergoing surgery at Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham are piloting the process in which their movements are tracked by a wireless network and their records brought up on screens for use by staff at key points. The developers believe the system reduces the risk of human error and improves medical efficiency. David Morgan, a consultant ENT surgeon at the hospital who helped devise the process, said digital photos were taken of patients, who were tagged on arrival and the information synchronised with their electronic records.

He said their location could then be tracked to within yards and their details fed to visual display units in theatres, anaesthetic rooms and waiting areas.

The surgeon, who has worked at the hospital for 14 years, said he could make changes to the digital operating list while on his rounds using a pocket PC instead of working with typed copies.

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3678544


From:
Aftermath News
Top Stories - November 1st, 2004

RF- ID - Chips sollen zukünftig in jedem Produkt eingesetzt werden. Von Kleidung über Jogurtbecher, bis zum Buch oder Kundenausweis.

Überall lassen sich dann mittels Funkanwendung auslesbare Datenprofile erstellen, von denen ein Nutzerverhalten ableitbar ist, womit vielfältige Informationen offen liegen, und falls wie schon angedacht, auch die Sicherung unseres Bargeldes damit durchgeführt wird, kann jedem in den Geldbeutel geschaut werden kann.

Veröffentlicht am: 25.10.2004
Autor: silicon.de
Link zum Artikel: http://www.silicon.de/cpo/news-adn/detail.php?nr=17230


Chip-Implantate explodieren im Körper

Wenn RFID zum brandheißen Thema wird

Gerade eben hat die US-Regierungsbehörde 'Food and Drug Administration' (FDA) das Implantieren von RFID-Chips erlaubt, da tauchen die ersten Hiobsbotschaften auf. So leuchtet auch dem Laien ein, dass die kleinen Metallplättchen Entzündungen oder andere Abstoßreaktionen im Körper auslösen können. Abenteuerlich wird es jedoch offenbar, wenn eine Person mit implantiertem Chip in einen Kernspintomographen geschoben wird – dann nämlich kann das Implantat im Körper 'verglühen', schreibt die FDA in einem Brief.

Bei metallischen Implantaten kann es bei der Untersuchung in solchen Geräten zu elektrischen Stromflüssen kommen. Dies wiederum könne zur Erhitzung und anschließend zur Verbrennung führen. Daneben bestehe die Gefahr von elektrischen Schlägen. Dass die Implantate – ähnlich wie Silikon-Pölsterchen in aufpolsterungswürdigen Körperteilen – auch verrutschen können, erscheint vor diesem Hintergrund eher harmlos.

Die Warnungen beschrieb die FDA in einem Schreiben an die 'Digital Angel Corporation'. Das Unternehmen war bis vor kurzem an der US-Firma 'Applied Digital Solutions' (ADS) beteiligt, das die Chip-Implantate herstellt. Recht unerwartet zog sich Digital Angel vergangene Woche jedoch zurück und verkaufte alle Anteilsscheine im Wert von 4 Millionen Dollar. Beobachter spekulieren nun über einen Zusammenhang mit dem wenig erfreulichen Inhalt des Briefs.

Nachrichten von Bernd Schreiner

http://www.tldm.org/News4/MarkoftheBeast.htm


Informant: Sheri Grutz

FDA approves technology but also warns of possible downsides

Though Applied Digital, the company that markets the human-implantable VeriChip device, has trumpeted recent Food and Drug Administration approval of the technology, it failed to include in its announcement warnings by the agency about the downsides of having a transponder lodged under the skin. According to a letter issued by the FDA Oct. 12, the ID chip, which is touted as an immediate way to obtain medical history about the wearer, has several possible negative effects. "The potential risks to health associated with the device are: adverse tissue reaction, migration of implanted transponder, … failure of implanted transponder, … electromagnetic interference, electrical hazards, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) incompatibility and needle stick," states the letter, which was obtained by Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering, or CASPIAN. Katherine Albrecht, founder and director of CASPIAN, chastised Applied Digital and manufacturer Digital Angel for failing to mention the negative aspects of its technology.

http://www.infowars.com/print/bb/implantable_chips_medical.htm


From:
Aftermath News
Top Stories - October 24th, 2004

The microchips have already been implanted in 1 million pets.

Privacy advocates are concerned that an implantable microchip designed to help doctors tap into a patient's medical records could undermine confidentiality or could even be used to track the patient's movements. "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. The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that Applied Digital Solutions of Delray Beach, Florida, could market the VeriChip, an implantable computer chip about the size of a grain of rice, for storing medical information. With the pinch of a syringe, the microchip is inserted under the skin in a procedure that takes less than 20 minutes and requires no stitches. Silently and invisibly, the dormant chip stores a code that releases patient-specific information when a scanner passes over it. 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, doctors can unlock part of a secure database that holds the patient'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 use to track people's movements -- in addition to speeding delivery of medical information to emergency rooms -- has raised alarm. The company's chief executive officer, Scott R. Silverman, said chips implanted for medical uses could also be used for security purposes, like tracking employee movement through nuclear power plants.

Stewart said that 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.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/10/14/implantable.chip.ap/


From:
Aftermath News
Top Stories - October 24th, 2004

Just had to comment that I was strongly reminded of similar incidents in our country, in fact, probably more! We agree on this subject! Hope this doesn't bore you!

Dave said:

"Note: In reading this, it seemed that the US is sooooo close to the same. How easy to freely invade our homes, confiscate our documents, photos, computers, and find "something" to arrest and control us. Our Police State is unbelievably close. Our privacy is non-existent, police powers are out of control, and so much more. Scary."

Oh so true!

Laurel

http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,65412,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_1


RFID Passports
http://www.schneier.com/crypto-gram-0410.html#3


New US Passports Will Include RFID in 2005

A Boon for Identity Thieves.

Privacy concerns and RFID technology are colliding in an unusual arena: the next US passport. Wired News reported yesterday that next generation passports will contain RFID chips to make their contents machine readable. A State Department spokesperson quoted in the article claims that it will make passports more secure, and ensure "the bearer is the person who was issued the passport originally." Machine readable passports have long been a goal of the Department of Homeland Security. When queried, the embedded chip in new passports will deliver the name, address, date and place of birth of the bearer, along with a digital photograph. The information will not be encrypted, but will contain a digital signature certifying the authenticity of the chip. Privacy advocates are already decrying the insecurity of the system, citing it as a boon for identity thieves. It's not a difficult leap to envision terrorists tracking US citizens as they emerge from customs. Or a conventional thief looking for high rent addresses amongst the passengers leaving on international flights.

Perhaps the most paranoid reaction comes from security expert Bruce Schneier, who claims the Bush administration "wants to be able to identify people in crowds."

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,1682070,00.asp


From:
Aftermath News
Top Stories - October 25th, 2004

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Statement of Barry Steinhardt, Director of the ACLU Technology and Liberty Program, on RFID Tags Before the Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection Subcommittee of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce

http://www.aclu.org/Privacy/Privacy.cfm?ID=16104&c=130

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David Icke's site has new feature by him about the FDA approving a microchip for humans and he points out that he brought this to the world's attention 12 years ago.

Read all about it here:
http://www.icke-media.com/archives/000075.html#more


Informant: Steve Andrews

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US plans chip to bar-code humans

The US government could literally be getting under the skin of its citizens with the first futuristic microchip implant for humans getting a go ahead this week. The chip - VeriChip developed by the Digital Angel Corporation - has got Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approval for its medical use, but it opens a critical window for radio tracking humans, it is pointed out. The radio frequency identification (RFID) chip is a minute, rice grain sized gadget that will be implanted sub-dermally, which some critics allege is akin to bar-coding humans like a can of beans on a superstore shelf. Though the chipmaker claims the chip is approved for only medical use, it could replace passports, ID cards and even credit cards. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has already objected to the use of such chips, saying they would allow authorities "to sweep up the identities of everyone at a political meeting or protest march". The chipmaker said it stores a 16-digit identification number that could open the medical details of the person stored in a central database.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/889496.cms

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As you may know, last week the FDA approved the VeriChip ID implant for medical use in humans (along with a whole class of similar implants).

While VeriChip promoters discuss only the "benefits" of chip implantation, CASPIAN researchers have uncovered a host of serious potential medical dangers associated with the VeriChip.

We have outlined details in the press release below and in a special web report at:

http://www.spychips.com/reports/verichip-fda.html

As I have discussed on NPR, CNN, NBC, and elsewhere in the last week, the VeriChip is bad news for consumers, putting their health, privacy and security at risk.

Please read this material and share it with others.

In freedom,
Katherine Albrecht, CASPIAN

http://www.spychips.com
http://www.nocards.org
http://www.boycottGillette.com


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OCTOBER 19, 2004

FDA Letter Raises Questions about VeriChip Safety, Data Security Implantable RFID device "poses potential risks to health"

Electrical hazards, MRI incompatibility, adverse tissue reaction, and migration of the implanted transponder are just a few of the potential risks associated with the Verichip ID implant device, according to an October 12, 2004 letter issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering) has obtained a copy of the letter and posted it on the group's RFID website at http://www.spychips.com/reports/verichip-fda.html.

"For a device purported to help patients, the VeriChip has serious medical downsides," said Katherine Albrecht, Founder and Director of CASPIAN. "By omitting this information from their press material, the companies marketing the VeriChip have painted an inaccurately rosy picture of their product that could mislead consumers into believing the devices are completely safe."

Albrecht cites MRI incompatibility as perhaps the most serious issue. An MRI machine uses powerful magnetic fields coupled with pulsed radio frequency (RF) fields. According to the FDA's Primer on Medical Device Interactions with Magnetic Resonance Imaging Systems, "electrical currents may be induced in conductive metal implants" that can cause "potentially severe patient burns."

"Patients contemplating a VeriChip implant need to know that the FDA has raised MRI incompatibity as a potential risk," she said. "If it's a choice between a potentially life-saving diagnostic procedure or a VeriChip implant, I believe most patients would choose the MRI."

In addition to outlining a number of health risks, the FDA letter also cites the risk of "compromised information security" among its concerns.

The VeriChip ID implant, about the size of a grain of rice, uses radio waves to transmit medical and financial account information to reader devices. There is a risk that these transmissions could be intercepted and duplicated by others or that the devices could be used to track an individual's movements and location.

"Once you're chipped, you can be identified by doorway portal readers without your knowledge," says Albrecht, referring to a VeriChip reader sold by value added resellers such as FindMe, LLC
http://www.findmellc.com/verichip_portal.asp . "That tracking potential, coupled with VeriChip's potential health risks make the VeriChip a very poor choice for medical patients seeking safety and security."

Albrecht said her group will be contacting the FDA to get more specifics about the dangers outlined in its letter. She also plans to contact the Digital Angel Corporation, manufacturer of the VeriChip; VeriChip, the technology licensee; and VeriChip's parent company, Applied Digital.


CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering) is a grass-roots consumer group fighting retail surveillance schemes since 1999. With thousands of members in all 50 U.S. states and over 30 countries worldwide, CASPIAN seeks to educate consumers about marketing strategies that invade their privacy and to encourage privacy-conscious shopping habits across the retail spectrum.

For more information, see:
http://www.spychips.com and http://www.nocards.org

You're welcome to duplicate and distribute this message to others who may find it of interest.

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May I scan the bar code in your arm?

Forget about temperature-taking and blood-pressure checking. In the bright, near future, the first step for people seeking medical care may be to have their bicep read by an electronic scanner seeking data stored on an implanted chip. A Florida company, Applied Digital Solutions, announced yesterday it had received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market in that country an implantable device known as a VeriChip. The grain-of-rice-sized chip contains a unique numeric identifier that hospitals and doctors offices could scan to gain Internet access to an individual's medical records.

In the initial rollout, the company will target people with chronic health problems -- and complicated medical records and needs -- as well as patients with cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.

http://www.infowars.com/print/bb/barcode_arm.htm

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Privacy breach feared from human-implant chip:

The US government could literally be getting under the skin of its citizens with the first futuristic microchip implant for humans getting a go ahead this week. The chip -- VeriChip developed by the Digital Angel Corporation -- has got Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approval for its medical use, but it opens a critical window for radio tracking humans, it is pointed out. The radio frequency identification (RFID) chip is a minute, rice grain sized gadget that will be implanted sub-dermally, which some critics allege is akin to bar-coding humans like a can of beans on a superstore shelf. Though the chipmaker claims the chip is approved for only medical use, it could replace passports, ID cards and even credit cards. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has already objected to the use of such chips, saying they would allow authorities "to sweep up the identities of everyone at a political meeting or protest march". The chipmaker said it stores a 16-digit identification number that could open the medical details of the person stored in a central database.

http://athens-olympics-2004.newkerala.com/?action=fullnews&id=37169

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How to get consumers to swallow electronic tags

70 percent of the public are concerned about the implications of RFID

One of RFID's proponents explains how to sell the technology to consumers, while privacy activists keep fighting to protect them from secret RFID tagging. Last week's Enterprise Wireless Technology show in London heard a proponent of radiofrequency identification (RFID) tags explain some of the techniques that retailers should use to overcome customer opposition to this new technology, which some privacy groups vehemently oppose. Derren Bibby, chief technologist at IT services firm Noblestar, delivered the keynote address on RFID and told his audience that companies who deploy RFID will "need to educate people" about the technology. RFID tags, which are tiny chips that can be fitted to an object and tracked wirelessly, have generated a storm of controversy. Supporters say they will help retailers to run their supply chains and protect their goods from shoplifters. Opponents label them as a privacy nightmare that would give governments and big business the opportunity to monitor the behaviour and movement of citizens. Bibby was dismissive of RFID opponents such as CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering). "They're some kind of fringe group in America. These are the kind of people you need to watch out for," said Bibby, adding that the group wasn't going to last long.

Katherine Albrecht, director of CASPIAN and a doctoral researcher at Harvard University, has fiercely rebutted the suggestion that her group don't represent widely-held views. She points out that research has found that around 70 percent of the public are concerned about the implications of RFID.

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/emergingtech/0,39020357,39170565,00.htm

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Radio frequency ID devices give a signal of the future

At the heart of this emerging trend, playing key roles, Microsoft, Weyerhaeuser and others.

Inside Weyerhaeuser's technology lab in Federal Way, technicians are working to turn an ordinary cardboard box into a smart device. Using radio waves, a sensor on the box beams information about its contents and destination so they can be tracked by computer from the warehouse to the store shelf. It all happens in a split second as the box passes through an electronic gateway along a conveyor belt. The sensor tag, which has no battery and is usually dormant, wakes up when it comes close enough to a tag reader to receive power from its radio signal. Such technology, known as radio frequency identification, or RFID, promises to make scanning bar codes by hand obsolete. All the information resides inside a single chip the size of a grain of sand.

At the heart of this emerging trend, companies in the Northwest are playing key roles in developing and using RFID technology, including chip-design firm Impinj, RFID hardware maker Intermec, Microsoft, Weyerhaeuser and others.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002065830_rfid18.html

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Microchips in people, packaging and pets raise privacy questions

Implanting a microchip in a pet has become a common practice, but until last week, it may have seemed quite a stretch to implant one in a person. On Wednesday, a Florida company announced that the Food and Drug Administration had approved its microchip for embedding into humans to convey information about their medical conditions. The FDA's decision could move privacy concerns about the emerging technology to the forefront of public debate. The technology behind it involves radio frequency identification, or RFID, sensors that are being applied to all kinds of objects to hold information about them and track their whereabouts. Proposals for RFID tags run the gamut from tubes of toothpaste to passports and money.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002066022_chipprivacy18.html

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Feds approve human RFID implants

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a gimmick from Florida-based Applied Digital Solutions to chip people with RFID implants - previously confined to tracking animals - thereby making it easy to access their medical records, even when they cannot, or would rather not, cooperate. The tiny, passive RFID devices, called VeriChips, are injected under the hide. They do not contain the medical data in question, but instead store a unique ID number that is used to access records on a remote server maintained by Applied Digital, using a handheld reader. The chips are legal in numerous applications, but cannot be used as medical devices without FDA approval - which they now have got. So, what is the problem that this technology solves? We don't think there is one, unless doctors' offices are being flooded with people who can't recall their own medical histories.

Yes, some people do suffer from dementia, but these are most often found already in nursing facilities and hospitals, or at least supervised by a nurse or family member.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/10/14/human_rfid_implants/

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Cashless Society Update

Motorola, MasterCard trial RFID PayPass system

Motorola and MasterCard are conducting field tests of new mobile phones that include Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips embedded in them as part of a cashless payment system dubbed PayPass. The phones will be equipped with Near Field Communication (NFC) systems, which will allow them to communicate with nearby readers to, for instance, pay for small purchases or tickets for transit or events simply by passing their phone close to a reader. Once the phone and account has been identified by the RFID tag, the user's MasterCard account will be billed automatically by the network for the appropriate amount. MasterCard also sees potential for the phones as contactless readers, which it claims opens the door for "a variety of marketing and promotional applications", on which the company did not elaborate further.

http://www.infowars.com/print/bb/cashlesssociety.htm



From:
Aftermath News
Top Stories - October 21st, 2004