'Pacemaker'-like GPS Device for Humans

LunarFox writes "Applied Digital Solutions has announced successful field trials of a prototype GPS device that can be implanted into humans. The device, which is internally rechargable, can wirelessly transmit location, movements and vital signs via the Internet, storing the info in a database. It's said to be the size of a pacemaker, but they intend to miniaturize it to one-tenth that size. You may recall this company as having designed the 'Digital Angel,' and 'Verichip,' a ricegrain-sized RFID chip like injectable pet tracking ID chips. This same company apparently made several denials in 2002 that their product(s) would be anything but externally worn. (like a wristwatch) Many other related links can be found at WorldNetDaily." On one hand the potential cool uses astound me, while the possibilty of abuse frightens me. A lot.

Comments

Big Brother is watching!!

[mharris007]

I'm not really into conspiracy theories, and generally not very paranoid; but this really makes you think of what "Big Brother" or anyone for that matter can do to track people.

I wonder what all the future applications of this device will be? I wonder if in the future they will require known convicted felons to wear these? Just think about all the scary applications such devices can be put to.

Re:Big Brother is watching!!

[mikerich]

I don't have a problem with convicted criminals being implanted, and their movements tracked for a certain amount of time

There would be major ethical problems for most surgeons. It would go against their creed to operate on a person without their consent when the operation was not needed for a medical condition.

I think we should take some time to consider the implications of asking doctors and surgeons to perform such operations.

Besides, the first people to receive these implants should be politicians, oh and the entire staff at Digital Angel.

Best wishes,
Mike.

Re:Big Brother is watching!!

[Anonymous Coward]

We already operate on the mentally ill without their informed consent. No-one seems too bothered about dosing schizophrenics with huge doses of drugs that might work to make their condition worse, even without their consent.

Re:Big Brother is watching!!

[Grab]

Don't be fooled by the "Big Brother" rubbish.

The main application, as ever, is military. If the Army can pin-point each of their soldiers and determine easily whether they're alive, dead or injured, they'll be *very* happy. Triage becomes much easier if you know the guy is alive before you go over to him, and if you're wounded then your guys can check that you're still alive before they come to get you under fire.

Tracking convicted felons sounds a perfect use as well, though. Anyone who thinks this is invasion of privacy, think again - a convicted felon has NO right of privacy, bcos you need to be sure they won't reoffend during their parole period. As a convicted felon, you have a choice - either stay in your cell with Bubba, or get out into the real world but have restrictions on where you can go, what you can do, and and at what time. Take your pick. Personally I reckon anyone allowed out of prison early with a curfew imposed has got pretty damn lucky, compared to the alternative. Of course there is also the point that after the parole period, you'll need to be sure the device is turned off - leaving it on forever *would* be invasion of privacy, unless your crime is such (eg. child molesting) that you are banned for life from entering certain areas such as school zones.

Grab.

Re:You might call me paranoid...

[L0k11]

i take it you've never had an x-ray of yourself

x-rays would tend to show if people had a GPS device with antennea implanted in them

Hello people, wake up

[override11]

All those folk with a cell phone?? You allready have one of these, no need to fret. Just have 3 base stations sent pings to your phone, triangulate position, and big brother will be there shortly. Oh, your phone is not turned on? Sok, no need for it to be on. This type of device continues to become more popular, and the amount of power that goes into the hands of people who control this is amazing. Just because its in the terms of service that they will not release this information, how much would it take for someone who REALLY wanted to find you to go see a low level tech @ the cell phone place, pay a bit of $$, and whamo get your exact position and heading. The age of privacy has been over for a long time, people are just waking up too it.

Re:Hello people, wake up

[master_p]

But I can rid of my cell phone anytime I want. I can smash it, burn it, sell it, hack it... I can't do much with an implant though, unless I go for a surgery: which means hospitalization, expenses, and most importanly, other people knowing what I do.

I can also get rid of my credit card. I can always phone using public phones, If I am paranoid enough.

So, the age of privacy isn't really over unless we are forced to have these chip implants. Otherwise, even if the phone/cable/car company has some of my data, that does not mean that they know my every move.

What happens?

[jkrise]

when the US may reduce non-military GPS accuracy?

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/03/19/0340 24 7&mode=nested&tid=126&tid=103

The potential for abuse is more terrifying, really.

get a jump on those who would abuse it

[wwest4]

...and advocate laws (or enforcement of existing laws) that prohibit violations of privacy. then you could take advantage of the benefits at your risk and discretion e.g. like a cell phone... you can turn it off or drive out of range if you don't want to be reached.

Captain Picard: Computer, where is Commander Data?
Computer: Lieutenant Commander Data is no longer aboard the Enterprise.

READ YOUR OWN ARTICLE!

[RMH101]

"Mobile (Cell) phones send signals that can be tracked, even when they're on standby". Turn it off, no RF energy. Simple.
For fellow geeks with P800s, just put it in "flight mode" for the same effect.

"I could super-impose an RF signal on the telephone line that would "jump" or "short" out the hook switch on the phone effectively creating an off-hook condition" has precisely bog-all to do with modern GSM digital handsets.

Also, any site with a cute .gif button mentioning "The Ark of the Covenant: against Satan New World Order" probably isn't exactly a technical journal, dig?

Re:kidnapping of the future:

[Anonymous Coward]

Step 0: Use tracking device to locate potential target and analyse daily movement schedule...

After reading the article...

[Daemonic]

The induction-based power-recharging method... functions without requiring any physical connection between the power source and the implant.

So they're not going to be implanting these while you're not looking, unless they can also talk you into recharging it yourself later.

The overall ickiness of having something inserted, plus of course the overtones of nazi tatoos will stop this being mandatory for a very very long time.

It's the biometric id cards/credit cards/mobile phones that'll be the really useful peasant-tracking devices. They don't need RFID implants.

Besides - there'd only be a market in back-street surgeons/hackers to take them out again. This wouldn't be a terribly effective way of tracking criminal types (it would be fine for ordinary citizens of course, but then they're easy enough to find at the moment anyway).

I want more proof of racism

[MyNameIsFred]

...Where I come from, likening chinese and blacks with dogs are racist...

I would like a little more proof that this was intended to be racist. The obvious intent is to identify tracking children and pets as a use.

One of the major problems I have with accusations of racism is that behavior frequently is assumed to be racist without any investigation. To illustrate, a few years ago a news program covered racial sensitivity training that a resturant chain was ungoing as part of a court settlement. Cashiers were told to always place the change in the hand of the customer, never on the counter. Because many blacks interpret putting the money on the counter as meaning "you don't want to touch them." This hit me directly, because I have a habit of putting it on the counter regardless of whether the person is white, black, or other. Mainly because I found it easier. So the question becomes how many people thought I was racist, for doing something that I do to everyone. My futher thought is, I want more proof that things are racist before believing so. Racism exists, but not every innocent act is racist.

Hmm, DRM for people.

[MrFenty]

I can see a two-tier society of the future where you have the "official" class of people who (not only being owned by MS, the government, RIAA, whoever you want to pick on this week) are willing to submit to having this sort of personal DRM so that law enforcement and other agencies know where they are; and also an underclass of people who refuse this "treatment", and as such as denied access to various funky services, perhaps only getting the most basic of social services.

Submit to the chip, join The Club - or live on the outside. Very scary.

homeland security

[koi88]

Frightened? Just think how effective we could fight terrorism! Every person in the US could be tracked, we could see who they meet and if they're sleeping, working maybe, in the future, what they're talking about. Of course, only criminals who have something to hide would fear this prospect.
Yes a device like that is frightening, especially in the hand of a totalitarian regime like the United States' government.
(Yes, mod me down... I know there are regimes where I couldn't say something like that without risking my life and I'm grateful I can still say that. But the US government do put people in jail without accusing them properly, they torture people outside the country, etc. Just say a person is a suspected terrorist and he automatically loses all human rights. I can still say I disapprove of that. But I'm afraid it's slowly becoming like the USSR in Stalin's times...)

Not necessarily without their permission

[mdfst13]

If you had the choice between being in jail and undergoing an operation that would let you get out, which would you choose?

I'm not sure that they would use this with criminals anyway. It would seem more secure to me to add it externally with a lock for criminals. Internally, it seems to me that they would just get another operation and have it removed.

Go America!

[paiute]

The Patriot Implant by Halliburton. Only terrorists refuse them.

Re:Inject it into criminals

[YrWrstNtmr]

perfect for ex-cons

ex-cons are exactly that. Ex. They have served their debt, and are now able to resume (more or less) regular lives.

Why would you need to track them?