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I just found this article from June and thought you may be interested! On the face of it this looks like very good news. Wisconsin has become the first state in the US to ban the forced implantation of RFID Chips. Great news, right? Well, not exactly! It sounds like it but , as ever, this comes with its own inherent problems. Firstly, why did they think that they needed to ban forced implantation of RFID Chips in the first place? Do we actually NEED laws that stop people from forcibly putting things into OUR bodies? Is the right to choose whether or not to allow somebody to do something like that inalienable? Secondly, this legislation is useless anyway! This gives the false impression that there is now no way to force a person to accept implantation. This is simply not the case. Were the government to demand that all driving licenses were placed onto chips and not plastic cards and everybody must have a current driving licence to drive, then surely that is forcing somebody to have one, if they wish to drive of course. What about health insurance companies, who are already testing the chip in chronically ill patients, decide to only offer cover to those that have a chip? What about members of the armed forces being given a direct order to have one implanted? Would they be able to refuse or would it be considered direct disobeying of an order from a senior officer? A serious offence in the armed forces, to say the least. How about sex offenders who may soon told that they have to be chipped? Incidentally, contrary to what everybody may be telling you about the 30 centimetre limit in which a reader can get data from the chip, this particular program shows the use of satellite tracking is all too real. This legislation is just another smokescreen designed to make you think that your governments are protecting you from misuse of this technology whilst all the time they are planning its use across society. The tactic of using small groups of people to convince everybody else that this is a great idea is not new. They did it with ASBO's which were touted as a cure for the problems that we have with teenagers. Now ANYBODY can be subjected to an ASBO. They did it with curfew zones that were just for under 16-year olds, now they are used for entire geographic areas regardless of the age or criminal record of those living within them. If you begin to believe that the chipping of the population is a good idea then you have lost and they have won. ANY technology capable of tracking and reporting your every move is a BAD thing for freedom, liberty and basic human rights. Don't believe the hype! |
Monday 12th June 2006 | Computerworld |
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Wisconsin this week will become one of the first states to ban the forcible implantation of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags into humans. The ban begins on Wednesday, when legislation signed on May 30 by Gov. James Doyle goes into effect. The act dictates that no person may force another to have a microchip implanted in his body. Violators face fines of $10,000 each day until the chip is removed. A spokeswoman for Doyle said the law targets RFID technology, though it bans the implantation of any microchip without consent. "I'm hoping other states will follow," said state Rep. Marlin Schneider, a Democrat who sponsored the bill. While Schneider acknowledged that he knows of no case where an RFID chip was forcibly implanted into a person, he said he believes that proactive legislation is necessary as the technology quickly advances. Schneider said he is also concerned about current commercial uses of RFID technology. "There are a number of issues here, potentially," he said. Proposed laws that seek to limit the use of RFID devices because of data privacy and security concerns are under discussion in a total of 19 states, according to Douglas Farry, managing director of the government affairs practice at McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP, a Washington-based law firm. Such legislation could have broad implications for RFID product manufacturers, distributors and users, he said. Further Repercussions Even for companies that use RFID strictly for inventory control or supply chain management, such laws could lead to IT spending on the security infrastructure changes needed for compliance, Farry said. He urged that RFID advocates do more to educate the public and governmental bodies about the benefits of the technology and thus remove the sinister stigma that some opponents have fostered. Kevin Brown, director of information systems at Daisy Brand LP, a Dallas-based maker of sour cream products that uses RFID systems, said, "It is understandable for the states to begin this type of legislation where technology has the potential for abuse." Brown said that in his opinion, makers of RFID technology should educate the public on its capabilities and use. "My hope is that our policymakers can balance the need to legislate the use of technology while not impeding the creative forces of innovation," he said. Scott Silverman, chairman of Applied Digital Solutions Inc., whose Delray Beach, Fla.-based subsidiary VeriChip Corp. supplies RFID chips for human implantation, said he doesn't object to the Wisconsin law. "In theory, we're in agreement with the posture taken," he said. "For medical uses, we've been clear all along that it's a voluntary product." Silverman said that other potential beneficial uses of the technology would include implanting RFID chips in immigrant guest workers for identification at border crossings and employer sites. As the use of the technology becomes more widespread, Silverman said, he expects that all the RFID-related legislation "will shake itself out." |
