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FDA Approves Implantable RFID for Patients
anzha writes "It seems that the FDA has approved an RFID tag for use in patients. The idea being that the rice grain sized chip would be implanted and scanned for patient history and updates. It seems that a similar chip was used by the Mexican government for employees that work with sensitive documents. IDK about you, but this seems a to me little...creepy."
My grandfathers defib has information stored on it, although I'm not sure its it's RFID.
Repent, the end is near.
I do hope that safeguards are put in place to avoid abuse
You must be new here....
Can't I just keep it in my wallet or embedded in my shoes or on my car keys or something?
Could someone help me out? I don't know what IDK means.
-Erwos
Plausible conjecture should not be misrepresented as proof positive.
Yes, because if there is one thing the government is good at, it would be respecting peoples privacy and safeguarding personal information.
...So I go to hospital, and one of these RFID tags is implanted within me.
Next time I visit doctor/hospital, what restrictions are there on info from "my" tag being read? Two possible options I can see:
- everyone can read my info, and now I have to worry about my health info being scanned by everyone with any remote interest in it. Get on a plane - *SCAN*; "Sorry sir, we believe your heart may give out on this flight and we don't want any lawsuits". Go to a job interview - *SCAN*; "Sorry but we won't employ someone with your health problems"
- nobody can read my info except for readers authorised by the single company controlling the implants. Hmm, now I wonder how they could conceivably abuse that information...
Thanks, but no thanks - I'll take my chances with anonymity. The possibilities of abuse of this technology are just too high
The fundamental potential for abuse is that since some institution now has a unique ID linked to you, somebody with access to the back-end databases will be able to know as much as the databases recorded.
Since the article doesn't say anything about expiry of said RFID tag, all hospitals and other institutions that want to use this technology will need to share your unique ID number amongst everybody, creating a meta-network of information all tracable to YOU.
I for one welcome our new rice grain sized overlords
Just think of all the other wonderful uses once the technology becomes more widely accepted...
No more lines at the airport for people with the chip!
metal detectors augmented with RFID scanning / live reporting / updating tools...
"I'm sorry, sir... you are not allowed on the plane. It says here you use something called Linux, and apparently that's only used for pirating copies of window$, making you a terrorist. This transaction has also just been added to your RFID file. Have a nice day"
This is not the greatest
Problem is that part of the ideals that this country was founded on included the idea that the government was required to leave you alone unless they suspected you of doing something illegal. Giving the government, or any private organization the ability to monitor you (whether at a hospital or not -- for any reason, any place) with a technology that has an immense potential for misuse is quite a scary idea.
That's why the "If you've nothing to hide, you don't need to worry" line doesn't fly with me -- maybe if we lived in communist Russia, it would be a different story -- this is the US, and my freedom is important to me.
By itself, this seems like it could be a great idea with huge potential, but it's another drop in the bucket, if you ask me...
I know what's on the bracelet 'cos I can read it.
I know who else is reading my bracelet 'cos they're standing right next to me.
I can remove the bracelet when I go home.
Yes. And good for him. This kind of technology can prevent people from getting wrong treatments in the hospital because they will not be mis-identified. It may also keep babies from being switched after birth. There are many good uses besides those two. We just need to address privacy issues up front. This is no different, to me, than the availability of printed records that people can access now. These RFID tags only identify you, they do not contain medical records.
http://www.busyweather.com/
Because it's RFID, man! Don't you understand, man, RFID = EVIL!!! If RFID is allowed, the government will track everyone by satellite and send black helicopters to take you off to a concentration camp and anal probe you all because you attended that anti-Bush rally. Then they'll sell your medical information to the national enquirer and all of your friends and neighbors will find out about your hemmoroid problems. Just remember man, RFID = EVIL!!!
For those that think this is a bad thing, don't blame the FDA. The FDA's only job should be to ensure medical safety, that unsafe products don't harm people, not to prevent the abusive use of a product which is not intriniscally bad. It is the use of the product which can be bad. Isn't that the argument you use in stating P2P software should stay legal?
Saying the FDA should ban this technology because it can be abused is like saying they should ban cough syrup because of DXM abuse or that the MPAA should ban Linux DVD software because it can be used by movie pirates, or that the RIAA should be able to ban P2P software because someone could use it to distribute a billion copies of the latest Britney Spears album.
Just because it CAN be done, doesn't mean it should!
Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.
Whatever is created can also be hacked. That's both scary and liberating at the same time. I'm used to incompetence on a daily basis from every person I deal with, from the grocer, to my friendly neighborhood hospital. We're human, and I make mistakes as much as the nex guy. Technology isn't going to solve these problems, but I can see the mistakes being more severe. We're on our way to being slaves to data.. I wonder how close we are to the 20,000 year cycle, and if our number close to being up. Take that as you will ;)
And putting an RFID tag in the bracelet is the right thing to do. You get all the advantages of the RFID and the patient can remove it when they go home.
No freakin implants required.
Have an elderly person around the house? Can't afford to put them in a home? Don't have any relatives who will take him in?
Then get...The invisible leash!
Using the RFID tag in the subject, it locates him or her as he/she makes an escape for freedom, then applies a mild, 30,000 volt shock to gently remind them that you care.
Warning This device may be affected and triggered by many garage door openers, WIFI hot spots, and thunderstorms. Not recomended for those wearing underwire bras, or pacemakers.
I don't exactly remember it, but its close enough. Borrowed from the Bob and Tom radio show
Read the linked article.
It's a unique ID tag. That's ALL.
The chip won't have ANY data other than "who" you are. And to get any additional data you have to link into the hospital records.
And the police don't have a chance of getting in to those records thanks to privacy laws on medical records.
STOP THE FEARMONGERING.
It's a paper bracelet with your name on it. That's all. You just won't lose this one.
"Politicians are interested in people. Not that this is always a virtue. Fleas are interested in dogs." P.J. O'Rourke
The debate is going on now and both sides keep talking about all the things we are doing to strengthen homeland security. When will it be time to start questioning whether this makes us more secure? Perhaps doing all this might make us less secure at some point? It's not like 20th century governments have some impeccable record of not abusing their power over their citizens...
Posted anonymously, the chilling effect in action.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Speaking from experience, about the last thing i would care about on scene at a wreck bad enough to eject stuff from the vehicle is whether you're allergic to pennicillin or not. What i care about is making sure your neck doesn't move, you can actually breathe, and that you're not bleeding to death or going into shock. We can find out pertinent medical data later, once you're stable.
In the field, about the only thing we can do to you, as an EMT, anyway -- medics can push some drugs, but not ones that would cause an allergic reaction, especially on a MVA -- we'd probably just push saline to get some fluids back into you; but about the only thing an EMT can do to trigger an allergic reaction is use latex gloves. that's it. nobody's allergic to O2 or a leg splint or a cerebral-spine stabilization device.
And it's not like i want to be standing in the middle of the road with a reciever, poking at you and trying to recieve... what, your own personal bar code so i can radio that to the hospital? that's going to take far longer than is safe, for you bleeding to death on the pavement, and for me about to get hit by a damn rubbernecker.
filter: +3. Hey, look! all the trolls went away!
Call (206) 338-5780 COLLECT for information about a genuine BA, BS, MA, MS, MBA, or Ph.D.
When SSNs first came out, everybody warned about the possibility of abuse for its use as a national number similar to how the nazi's and USSR did
About 20 years ago, it was a huge no-no to use SSNs for doing software, but we did it anyways (actually, I was allowed as I was doing Medical Software in 1985). Then the justice dept cracked down on its use. So everybody switched to Drivers License, but that was considered too much of a national ID.
Now, in the last 3 years, we are required to give SSN's and Drivers Licenses everywhere (bank, jobs, etc). CC companies are now required to give instance access to DOJ whenever they want it. The DOJ has instance access to all tollroads DBs of which cars with tollpass RFIDs are tracking.
The patriot act II (basically passed by both houses and the admin on the day that Sadaam's capture was announced) assures the above and more. (interesting that is was more to DOJ rather than NSA/CIA/NGSA).
And now, the feds want to implant chips in us the same way that I do for my dogs????? Hummmm, Yeah, right.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Quite a number of bars in Europe already do this as a so-called 'VIP-treatment'; get an RFID implanted to pay for your drinks/entry (as in you get debited later on your bank account).
-- Waht? Tehr's a preveiw buottn?