“Mom, I want to be the first kid implanted with the chip.”
Sound like something from Star Trek? Think again.
They were the first words that came out of 12-year-old Derek Jacobs’ mouth after watching a “Today Show” segment on the rapidly emerging technology called the VeriChip.
A few weeks later, Derek, along with his mom and dad, appeared on the same show as the first family (nicknamed “the Chipsons”) that will get the tic-tac sized medical information implants.
Though the technology is promising?a surefire way for an emergency room to know who you are and what medicines you’re allergic to?the potential corruption of the technology is equally as menacing.
Developed by Applied Digital Technology, the VeriChip “provides patients, medical providers and manufacturers with a rapid, secure and non invasive method for obtaining medically critical information about the device.” Creators envision a patient entering the hospital and doctors, much like grocery store clerks, scanning the patient’s VeriChip with a handheld device.
For Derek and his parents, this technology is a kind of life “assurance.” Jeff, Derek’s dad, has Hodgkin’s disease. A few years ago, Jeff was in a car accident and was in no condition to explain his medical history. If he had the VeriChip, doctors would have obtained his information in a fraction of the time?valuable minutes that really can mean the difference between life and death.
“We’re doing something that is good for mankind,” Jeff said in a Time magazine interview. “I feel like I’m going with the flow of nature,” he added.
There’s a bit of a problem with this statement. Last time anyone checked, humans were not constructed with built-in coils of copper wire, silicon and a tuner to keep a plastic capsule transmitting on the right frequency.
Though society has a growing fascination with technology, this “gee whiz” response could later be followed by an “oh, no.”
In the same interview, Leslie said, “Every day I worry about my husband. We definitely feel it will make us all feel more secure. For me, it’s marvelous. There are endless possibilities.”
That is where much of the danger lies. VeriChip doesn’t plan to stop at the Chipson’s implants that can only store 126 characters?roughly six lines of text. The company is thinking vital signs?pulse, temperature and blood sugar. These are not bad things to monitor. However, the rub comes when you add the one word that VeriChip makers like the most?satellites.
It doesn’t take being an ethicist to realize that a company has stepped on shaky ground when its leaders begin, not talking about implanting you with medical devices (because doctors do that all the time), but actually implanting devices in a population with the intent of tracking individuals’ every movement.
There is an obvious reason that we have isolated this technology to dogs and cattle. It’s called privacy, and humans like it?a lot.
However, there are certain circumstances in which humans lose that privilege?like incarceration?and that’s where Applied Digital Solutions has stepped in to offer its services (but not free of charge).
The company has already struck a deal with the California department of corrections to track the movements of parolees.
Gasp! They are injecting criminals with tracking devices without their consent?
Well, no. Applied Digital Solutions also makes a pager like product called Digital Angel that performs the same function as the VeriChip, but with the added bonus of a global positioning device that can be accessed via computer.
This is a more logical (and not so invasive) means by which to ensure a person’s safety. The Digital Angel is not a permanent resident in one’s body, yet it still is equally effective as the VeriChip.
Though some argue that remembering to wear the Digital Angel, either on a belt loop or in a watch form, negates the device’s effectiveness, its pay off is greater. If the use of the device gets out of hand, a regular citizen who intended only to use the device for medical purposes, can easily remove it. Try picking out a capsule that is embedded under your skin.
However, the prospect of the VeriChip’s permanence hasn’t exactly impacted the next generation. “Right now we have more than 2,000 kids who have emailed, wanting to have the chip implanted,” said the company’s technology officer, Keith Bolton, “They think it’s cool.”
These future decision makers will, in the next few decades, have to be careful in jumping to whimsical conclusions. Granted, the idea of such a technology is “cool.” But the novelty will wear off quickly, as this and the next generation begin trying to safely and effectively incorporate VeriChip technology into everyday life.
In its current promotional material, Applied Digital Technology touts the VeriChip, saying, “It’s there when you need it!” However, once the company gets the ball rolling and moves beyond medical use to tracking use, the VeriChip may also be there when you don’t.
Laura welcomes feedback at: [email protected] or send letters to the editor to: [email protected].