~e; Fwd: A Chip ID That's Only Skin-Deep

[bc <human@electronetwork.org>]

  [this may appeal to those people who tattoo UPC barcodes
  on the back of their neck. but maybe not. aesthetics/fashion
  is not the same thing as a working id. and with talk in the U.N.
  about universal ID cards, such a concept may someday arrive...]

--------------------
A Chip ID That's Only Skin-Deep
--------------------

Biotech: Firm plans to sell implantable devices that can store a 
variety of data about you.

By DAVID STREITFELD
Times Staff Writer
December 19 2001

By DAVID STREITFELD -- A Florida company is poised to become the 
first to sell microchips designed to be implanted into human beings, 
an achievement that opens the door to new systems of medical 
monitoring and ID screening.

Implantable chips have long been discussed by technologists and 
denounced by those who object on religious grounds or fear their use 
by a totalitarian state. But the company that did the test, Applied 
Digital Solutions of Palm Beach, said the specter of terrorism is 
shifting attitudes. The direct union of man and computer is no longer 
dismissed out of hand.

"The bottom line is, when people are trying to regain their peace of 
mind, they're more open to new approaches," said Keith Bolton, 
Applied Digital's chief technology officer.

Applied Digital, which had revenue of $165 million last year, has 
made its mark by selling electronic chips that help farmers keep tabs 
on the health and safety of their cows and other livestock. The 
company also makes a monitoring bracelet for Alzheimer patients, so 
that families can use global positioning satellite systems to help 
find loved ones who might have wandered off.

Now the company sees a market among those who have artificial organs 
and limbs. These folks will have up to 60 words of relevant medical 
information implanted on chips. If the patients are brought 
unconscious into an emergency room, technicians equipped with special 
scanners will easily decipher the body's internal topography."

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/la-121901chips.story

  [quote from article, fair-use.edu, ~e.org]

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