News and Document archive source
copyrighted material disclaimer at bottom of page

NewsMinesecuritybigbrotherchipped — Viewing Item


Implant chip fda { April 5 2002 }

Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
   http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/17127.html

http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/17127.html

Implantable Spy Chip Gets Green Light from U.S.

Tim McDonald
April 05, 2002

A Florida company Thursday said that it will begin marketing and selling a
microchip that can be implanted under the skin, after receiving the
go-ahead from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

The FDA advised the company, Applied Digital Solutions (Nasdaq: ADSX) ,
that its biochip, called "VeriChip," is not considered a medical device
and therefore is not subject to FDA regulation.


FDA officials said that as long as the biochip is used for identification
purposes only, it will not have to meet strict FDA guidelines. The ruling
saves the product from having to undergo the agency's rigorous and lengthy
safety testing procedures.
"The FDA said that VeriChip has no medical function, and Applied Digital
Solutions is now free to sell, market and insert the chips in
individuals," company spokesperson Matthew Cossolotto told NewsFactor.

'Distinction Without a Difference'

Although the company has advertised the VeriChip in the past as a
potential method of storing a person's complete medical history, at this
stage the device will contain only a number to be used for identification.

However, that ID code can be transmitted via Internet or phone to a secure
data storage site, where it can be cross-referenced, allowing authorized
personnel to obtain detailed medical information.

"In some ways, it's kind of a distinction without a
difference," Cossolotto said. "We could have, and we might in the future,
put more information on the chip. But right now we're very happy to put
just the ID verification code and start getting it into the marketplace."

The company said it has targeted VeriChip and its
"life-enhancing" technology toward patients who may arrive at hospitals
unconscious or unable to speak, as well as at workers who need
top-security clearance.

The biochip also could prove valuable for tracking children, Alzheimer's
patients and convicted felons on parole.

Similar technology has been used in the last few years to keep track of
pets.

Politicians, Felons and Kidnap Victims

A South Florida man, Jeff Jacobs, is expected to be the first recipient of
the VeriChip. The plight of the Jacobs family has been well
publicized: Jacobs, a 41-year-old dentist, must take up to 10 medications
a day for a variety of ailments, including cancer and a degenerative
spinal condition.

According to his family, Jacobs has arrived at emergency rooms several
times unable to speak.

The company also said the chip could be combined with a global positioning
system (GPS) and used for security purposes by potential kidnap victims.

ADS, which has estimated that the worldwide market for security chips will
reach US$450 million by 2007, already has deals in place in South America.

Brazilian politician Antonio de Cunha Lima has been trying to become the
first South American to use the implant chip, according to published
reports. Brazil has the fourth highest kidnap rate in the world, after
Colombia, Mexico and Indonesia.

First Florida, Then the World

The company, which first announced the chip in December 2001, said it will
launch the product in the next three weeks, first in Florida and then
nationwide and internationally.

The biochip is a miniature, implantable radio frequency identification
device (RFID) roughly the size of a grain of rice. It is composed of
"FDA-accepted materials," according to the company, and each chip contains
a unique verification number.

That number is "captured" by passing a scanner over the chip, causing a
small amount of radio frequency energy to pass through the skin and
activate the dormant chip. The chip then transmits the verification number
on a radio frequency of 125 KHz.

A doctor is required to perform the implant procedure, which can be done
for free at certified clinics under local anesthesia, according to ADS
officials. The chip itself is expected to sell for around US$200. The
scanner will cost up to $3,000, although ADS said it is considering giving
them away to hospitals and medical clinics.

'Mark of the Beast'

The VeriChip is not without controversy. It has been challenged by privacy
and political advocates, who say that if the chip were to fall into the
wrong hands, totalitarian regimes could use it to track political
dissidents.

The technology also could be used as a tool in a national ID system -- an
idea that has waned in popularity since peaking right after the September
11th terrorist attacks.

A March survey by Gartner Dataquest showed that 41 percent of those
surveyed in the United States oppose a national ID system, while just 26
percent support one.

Also, some religious sects have said the biochip is the "Mark of the
Beast" from the Book of Revelations. They claim that a graphic the company
used early in the product's life cycle "clearly" resembled the satanic
numbers "666."






14implant.583 [jpg]
Agreements russia colombia venezuela { July 23 2003 }
All brits to be chipped in decade
American passports to get chipped
Animal shelter will give microchips
Applied digital 2700 sales
Applied digital faces nasdaq delisting { October 28 2003 }
Applied digital pays ibm debt { June 30 2003 }
British sex offenders chipped { November 17 2002 }
Cars gps tracked for tax by mile in oregon
Chip americans { November 15 2002 }
Chip fda { April 5 2002 }
Chip implant
Chip implants cause tumors { September 9 2007 }
Chip installed { May 9 2002 }
Chip rollout in mexico
Chips now implant { May 11 2002 }
Chips
Consumers pay for merchandise using microchips under skin
Fda approves human chip { October 13 2004 }
Fda approves impanted devices to treat psychiatric disorder { June 16 2004 }
Fda warns ad
German court issues arrest warrants for 13 cia agents { January 31 2007 }
Get chipped charge without plasic you are the card
Get chipped
Human chips skin deep { August 23 2004 }
Identify badge worn under skin approved { October 14 2004 }
Implant chip fda { April 5 2002 }
Jails using radio tags on inmates wrists { May 15 2005 }
Japan plans gps tracking for kids { October 2 2003 }
Japan schoolkids tagged with RFID chips { July 12 2004 }
Little girl { September 3 2002 }
Mexican judicial workers get chipped
Microchip implants raise privacy concerns { June 2007 }
New york first subdermal verichip { September 24 2003 }
Paedophiles tracked satellite tags { September 21 2003 }
Prisoners wearing gps tracking devices
RDIF implanted in the hand by enthusiasts
Subdermal gps device { May 13 2003 }
Tracking keys pets kids
Under skin chips to be used in hospitals { July 27 2004 }
Verichip media { May 7 2002 }
Wal mart idea to track products chip { July 18 2003 }

Files Listed: 43



Correction/submissions

CIA FOIA Archive

National Security
Archives
Support one-state solution for Israel and Palestine Tea Party bumper stickers JFK for Dummies, The Assassination made simple