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."

Comments

Cashless society.. coming right up.

[Anonymous Coward]

Rev 13:16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or[6] the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.

Repent, the end is near.

Re:Good idea for borders

[Anonymous Coward]

I do hope that safeguards are put in place to avoid abuse

You must be new here....

Implant?

[Databass]

Can't I just keep it in my wallet or embedded in my shoes or on my car keys or something?

Help!

[Erwos]

Could someone help me out? I don't know what IDK means.

-Erwos

Re:Good idea for borders

[Izago909]

This would be a great idea for our beleagured borders where there are not enough police.

Are you suggesting that all non-Americans be tagged and our thousands of miles of coast line be dotted every few hundred feet with RFID scanners?

I do hope that safeguards are put in place to avoid abuse.

Yes, because if there is one thing the government is good at, it would be respecting peoples privacy and safeguarding personal information.

Re:Your Rights Online?

[nz_mincemeat]

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.

Had to be said

[Fyre2012]

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"

Re:Patents and security?

[erick99]

The implant only has a key that can unlock your records within the doctor's office database or the hospital. The RFID tag itself does not contain any medical records. The tag also acts as the equivalent of a UPC code. This might reduce or eliminate the kind of errors where you are thought to be patient B who is getting a leg amputated where you are really patient Z getting your tonsils out. So, there are some fantastically good things that this technology achieves. The privacy concerns are valid but this kind of technology is going to come into use sooner or later so we might as well prepare for it in such a way that privacy issues are addressed up front and appropriately.

Never loose your relatives again!

[workman161]

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

Two thousand year old prior art

[vegetablespork]

And he causeth all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the bond, that there be given them a mark on their right hand, or upon their forehead; And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

- Revelation 13:16-17

SSN, Drivers License, CC #, and Now a chip

[WindBourne]

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.