|
Microchips Author: Alan Brown, Posted: Sat 15 Mar 2003 9:38 pm Subject: Microchips Hi, Folks I just finished writing this this afternoon and I'm planning on sending it to everyone I know, to the ngs and send it out to some weekly newspapers and see if anyone picks it up (maybe some legislators, too). I know that the forward is on the dramatic side and that the info isn't necessarily new to you, but to those I'm sending this to, it will be new to them and it's intended to shake them up and hopefully wake them up, too. Your comments and/or suggestions would be appreciated. Alan Forward There are points in a our life, whether we choose to confront them or not, when it is time to "stand up and be counted" regardless of the consequences real or imagined. That time, for me, is now. In our world which seems to be filled with danger and foreboding, it can be a daunting task to try to sort through what's real from what's meant to just keep us scared and distracted. Make no mistake about it, these situations, whether they be in the Middle East, North Korea or here in the USA, which are gleefully and fervently promoted by the mainstream media ARE meant to keep us distracted from what's really going on. The following story is about one of those plans, perhaps the most important ÖÖ "Digital Angel" (Or A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing?) By Alan Brown Do you remember when you were a kid and stayed out late to play, or went somewhere after school before going home or stayed out late with friends past your bedtime or curfew? When you did get home what were you asked (before the scolding)? "Where have you been?" would have been a likely query. Well, thanks to modern technology, we can kiss that tradition good-bye. In the not-so-far future instead of a question about where you've been, there will be a statement instead, "I know where you've been and you're in big trouble!" And, of course, that's just a mere light-hearted example compared to the specter of the complete monitoring of anyone on the planet. Welcome to the world of implantable microchips. Science fiction? A "Buck Rogers" joke? If only it wereÖ. A company that is well on the road to making this nightmare a reality is called Applied Digital Solutions (http://www.adsx.com/index.html). It already has two particular products that it promotes. One is Digital Angel (http://www.digitalangelcorp.com), a "service" that can keep track of the elderly, children and animals and be used for "commercial applications." The other is VeriChip (http://www.adsx.com/prodservpart/verichip.html), an implantable chip "the size of the point of a typical ballpoint pen" promoted as a "personal verification technology" and "a universal (emphasis mine) means of identification." And, both technologies include GPS capabilities that can locate a person within approximately 20 feet. Naturally, the technology is promoted in the most glowing terms, pointing out the positive aspects of being monitored. Using GPS, an elderly person who gets lost can be easily found by their caregiver or concerned family member, a child lost at the amusement park can be easily found or one can even keep track of the family's pets. Also, "key body functions" can be transmitted and monitored which is seen as useful in making sure patients are OK and to help in medical/pharmaceutical testing. They even have a "ChipMobile" (http://www.adsx.com/prodservpart/verichip.html) and you can "sign up today to be among the first in the world to ëGet Chipped'." (http://www.adsx.com/prodservpart/verichippreregistration.html) Please, if you read no further, check these websites out for yourself. So much for their marketing and public relations. Let's pull the wool back a bit and see what's behind itÖ Digital Angel Here is a description of Digital Angel from their website: "Digital Angel Corporation is the exclusive licensee under U.S. patents for Personal Tracking and Recovery Systems and Individual Location Systems. The corporation also has five pending U.S. patent applications and two pending international patent applications. In addition, Digital Angel is: Designer and operator of the Digital Angel Operations Center and Data Delivery system, a state-of-the-art IT infrastructure that is capable of handling a high-volume of transactions. Marketer of the first consumer safety and location system that combines GPS location and biosensor technologies and provides phone and e-mail alerts to subscribers The worldwide leader in pet recovery with approximately 1 million pets in the U.S. and over 10 million in Europe protected by Digital Angel Animal Identification Systems Division patented microchips A leader in manufacturing GPS equipment for military applications, including electronic circuit boards and other communication and positioning devices used by pilots and military personnel in the field." What's important to note about the above is the capability of "handling a high-volume of transactions." In this high-tech world of ours in which billions of "transactions" occur on a daily basis, would it be any stretch to imagine that billions of people could be tracked and monitored? Also, note that the company is a leading vendor for the US military. The following appeared in the news in February 2003 (http://biz.yahoo.com/djus/030211/1130000752_1.html): "Dow Jones Business News: Digital Angel Gets Federal OK for Implantable Microchip Tuesday February 11, 11:30 am ET SOUTH ST. PAUL, Minn., (Dow Jones)--Digital Angel Corp. received approval to market its temperature-sensing implantable microchip for use in pets, livestock, and other animals. In a press release Tuesday, the company said it has received written clearances from the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to market the Bio-Therma microchip. The device can transmit a signal containing temperature readings to the company's proprietary radio frequency identification, or RFID, scanners. Digital Angel believes that its Bio-Thermo technology will provide vital internal diagnostics about the health of animals more efficiently and accurately than the invasive techniques used in the industry today. The company is also developing other biosensors based on its implantable RFID microchip patents. Applied Digital Solutions Inc. is the beneficial owner of Digital Angel, which owns the patents for its inventions in all applications of the implantable microchip technology for humans and animals." Seeing "implantable microchip technology for humans and animals" in the same sentence "gives one pause," doesn't it. Moving on to the human aspect we find this: "Digital Angel medical systems will integrate: ï Sophisticated biosensors and envirosensors ï Wireless communications ï Global Positioning Systems (GPS) location technology These remarkable systems will give physicians and clinical testing professionals 24/7 access to their patients and test subjects. Medical system biosensors, worn close to the body, will report: ï Pulse ï 3-lead ECG ï Blood pressure ï Blood chemistry (Oxygen) ï Body temperature ï Core temperature Additional sensors will be added in the near future as they become commercially available. Included with biosensor data will be information for locating patients - within 75 feet - thanks to GPS technology." On their frequently asked questions (FAQ) page (http://www.adsx.com/faq/digitalangelfaq.html) this is stated: "GPS is an array of 24 satellites, launched and maintained by the US Department of Defense, that constantly orbit the earth transmitting continuous orbit signals and radio wave transmission time signals. The Digital Angel System interprets the signals received from four of these satellites. By tracking the exact time and analyzing each satellite's position, the system can calculate the wearer's relative position within approximately 20 feet." Continuing onÖ "When wearing Digital Angel monitors, patients requiring close attention will be digitally linked from wherever they are to their physician's office or a call center, every hour of the day. Data will be quickly transmitted, so physicians can swiftly diagnose the situation and take appropriate action. By delivering both biosensor and GPS location data, a Digital Angel medical system can help you save the life of cardiac patients as well as those suffering from Alzheimer's and other diseases. In clinical testing of pharmaceuticals, Digital Angel technology will enable clinicians to collect pertinent bio-data from subjects on a real-time basis. As a result, building databases related to test results will be accomplished as data is received. An end-to-end Digital Angel system starts with a monitor that clips on to an individual. The monitoring device contains advanced biosensors to take readings on pulse, blood pressure, and other vital signs. Sensor data, along with GPS-based location information, is transmitted to the Digital Angel Operations Center. Data can then be immediately sent to: ï Computers at your location ï Land-based telephones ï Cell phones with an e-mail address ï Text pagers ï Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) Combines wireless communications and satellite uplink/downlink technology ï Scalable ï Compatible with all wireless telecom formats ï Offers seamless integration with your existing IT infrastructure In exploring medical applications for Digital Angel technology, the company is currently developing partnerships and strategic alliances with a number of leading medical and pharmaceutical organizations. Objective: to provide all the support and technological expertise our partners will need to make wireless remote medical monitoring an integral component of the patient care and pharmaceutical product development matrixes. ï Fleet management ï Vehicle, equipment or product theft, reporting and recovery ï Tracking high-value packages and containers ï Monitoring parolees ï Tracking livestock and endangered species ï Monitoring nuclear waste, monitoring remote water reservoirs Personnel safety and security can be improved by equipping those on the move with compact, lightweight monitors that: ï Pinpoint their location ï Monitor their physical condition ï Report on critical environmental changes" It is worthwhile to take note of various phrases and combinations found in the above description, such as:
Taking all the above into consideration, along with the rapid pace of technology development, it would not seem to stretch the imagination much to envision this: a world in which people are implanted voluntarily (or, as a chilling thought, involuntarily) so that they can be monitored by body function, location and possibly even directed (through "downlink" technology) at all times. Verichip From their website: "VeriChip is a miniaturized, implantable radio frequency identification device (RFID) that has the potential to be used in a variety of security, financial, and other applications. About the size of a grain of rice, each VeriChip product contains a unique verification number and will be available in several formats. The verification number is captured by briefly passing a proprietary scanner over the VeriChip. A small amount of radio frequency energy passes from the scanner energizing the dormant VeriChip, which then emits a radio frequency signal transmitting the verification number." "In the security field, the company is actively developing applications for VeriChip in a variety of security, defense, homeland security and secure-access applications. These opportunities include using VeriChip to control authorized access to government installations and private-sector buildings, nuclear power plants, national research laboratories, correctional facilities, and sensitive transportation resources. VeriChip can enhance airport security, airline security, cruise ship security, intelligent transportation and port congestion management." "The Company recently unveiled VeriPass(tm) and VeriTag(tm), which will allow airport and port security personnel to link a VeriChip subscriber to his or her luggage (both during check-in and on the airplane), flight manifest logs and airline or law enforcement software databases." "In the financial arena, the company sees enormous, untapped potential for VeriChip as a personal verification technology that could help to curb identity theft and prevent fraudulent access to banking (especially via ATMs) and credit card accounts. VeriChip's tamper-proof, personal verification technology would provide banking and credit card customers with the added protection of knowing their accounts could not be accessed unless they themselves initiated -- and were physically present during -- the transaction." "We are promoting VeriChip as a universal means of identification. We expect it to be used in a variety of applications including financial and transportation security, residential and commercial building access, military and government security." As you read the above, you might be impressed with the capabilities of the chip, with the convenience that it seems to provide and the "security" that it might provide. But, on the other hand, it further reduces one to a number and there is this very important statement: " Öwhich will allow airport and port security personnel to link a VeriChip subscriber to his or her luggage (both during check-in and on the airplane), flight manifest logs and airline or law enforcement software databases." That means that your personal information, conceivably any information that has ever been collected on you, will be able to be accessed from your chip (remember the downlink capability?). So, imagine, if you will, walking up to a ticket counter, being stopped for speeding or just walking by a scanner at a public event and having all of your information - medical history, credit history, shopping habits (from those "convenience" cards you might use) and "other" information that could be put in your database - available to whoever has access to that database. And, to take it one chilling step further, it would only take a few keystrokes to ruin a person's life with false and erroneous data inserted into that database. Scary, isn't it? 2 + 2 = ? These two technologies, although promoted as being benign and useful, have enormous potentials for being abused. In the wrong hands, with the wrong intentions Ö.well, you get the picture. A very important aspect of this to realize is that the "holy grail" of a fully "chipped" and monitored society is not going to happen overnight because people, at this stage, would (hopefully) not stand for it. That leaves us with an opportunity to stop the process and wake up to it. That also leaves us with the opportunity to become aware of the steps that are being taken to lead up to a time when people, as it is being planned, will willingly allow themselves to be "chipped." As you can see from the above descriptions, the chips first started with animals, then are promoted towards people, under the guise of helping those who are sick and infirm, helping the elderly and helping children - all being the easiest targets to go after first. Then it moves onto those who are "undesirable," like prisoners and parolees. From there it could continue on to foreign nationals, suspected terrorists and certainly to victims of identity theft or other crimes who could be easily convinced that to give up their privacy is worth the "security" they would gain. Then I suppose the military, if not already "chipped," would find this a very useful technology for keeping track of troops. And down the line it goes, until it becomes a socially accepted idea and we "willingly" line up to be "chipped." And for those unwilling? There won't be enough left to complain. Impossible you say? Too outlandish, too dark a possibility? Unfortunately, history says otherwise. Along with and supporting this progression will be increasing promotion of the idea of national ID cards which will be "proven" to be too vulnerable, with the chips then presented as the solution. People who actually do get "chipped" will be telling everyone (generously assisted by the mainstream media) how easy it is, just like the company said it would be: "There is very little discomfort - less than ëgetting a shot'." Or, perhaps, "Just like getting a smallpox vaccination." And, you'll probably be seeing the idea come up, more and more, in TV shows and movies, too. Conclusion What can we do about this? The first thing is to know about it, find out about it and become aware that the scenarios presented above are a very real possibility which are only waiting for public acceptance and the technology infrastructure to be completed (if it's not already in place). The second thing to do about it is to share that awareness with others so they can wake themselves up to what's going on and they can help others to wake up to what's going on, and so on. This "holy grail" of "chipping" everyone will not work without our agreement, without our support and it is up to us to make this information and it's real potential for abuse widely known among our families, our friends, our co-workers and our elected officials. Let's pull the wool back from their eyes, too, shall we? One Last Thing There are a couple of things to note about Applied Digital Systems, itself, as well:
|
