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Applied Digital Announces Six Point Privacy Statement at ID World Congress in Barcelona, Spain DELRAY BEACH, Fla. --(Business Wire)-- Nov. 22, 2004 -- Company Outlines Privacy Standards as U.S. Distributors Begin to Market VeriChip(TM) to the Medical Community; Michael Krawitz, Esq. named Applied Digital's CHIEF PRIVACY OFFICERApplied Digital (Nasdaq: ADSX), a provider of security through innovation(TM), announced today that its Chairman and CEO, Scott R. Silverman outlined the Company's new six-point privacy statement as part of his Keynote Address at the 2004 World ID congress in Barcelona, Spain. Recognizing the Company's role in the development of RFID technology world-wide, Mr. Silverman stated in his speech at the conference that: "It is our duty educate and unite rather than isolate and divide...We as leaders in the RFID industry must be proactive in our privacy efforts...We must engage, and, in turn, educate and unite world leaders, privacy groups and, most importantly, the world population." The Company's six-point privacy statement is as follows: 1. VeriChip should be voluntary and voluntary only. No person, no employer, no government should force anyone to get "chipped." 2. Privacy must be a priority at the highest levels of our organization and as such we will have a Chief Privacy Officer who, with privacy experts, will be charged with addressing the day-to-day global evolution of this technology. 3. We will immediately address privacy and patients' rights in all consumer, distributor and medical documents related to VeriChip 4. VeriChip subscribers are able have their chip removed and discontinued at any time. 5. Privacy means different things to different people, so only the VeriChip customer should designate the groups that may have access to his or her database information. 6. We pledge to thoughtfully, openly and considerately engage government, privacy groups, the industry and consumers to assure that the adoption of VeriChip and RFID technology is through education and unity rather than isolation and division. Mr. Silverman noted that the Company's role in the development of RFID technology world-wide had changed since the FDA granted clearance for it to market the VeriChip(TM) for medical applications. "We recognize that the since the FDA granted us clearance to market the VeriChip(TM) for medical applications and leading medical device distributors such as Henry Schein, Inc. have agreed to market the product, that it is incumbent on us to ensure that we can secure the medical records of all VeriChip(TM) subscribers. We will work closely with all of our key constituencies, including consumers, distributors and hospitals to make the rapid adoption of the VeriChip(TM) as broad as possible. With significant opportunities for VeriChip(TM) in other areas such as security, we will strive to apply these standards consistently and uniformly across all of our target markets." As part of Applied Digital's privacy policy, it has appointed Michael Krawitz to the position of Chief Privacy Officer. Mr. Krawitz currently serves as the Company's Executive Vice President and General Counsel. Krawitz, 35, will work closely with privacy experts, medical experts and community leaders to immediately address privacy and patients' rights issues. "VeriChip's principal attribute is its ability to deliver information and verification," Krawitz said. "To ensure that this attribute is a benefit and only a benefit, we are making privacy our priority and our commitment. It's good business and it's responsible behavior for a leader in an area of RFID technology." About VeriChip: VeriChip Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Applied Digital. The VeriChip product is a subdermal RFID microtransponder that can be used in a variety of security, financial, emergency identification and healthcare applications. About the size of a grain of rice, each VeriChip device contains a unique verification number that is captured by briefly passing a proprietary scanner over the VeriChip. In October 2004, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared VeriChip for medical applications in the United States. VeriChip is not an FDA-regulated device with regard to its security, financial, personal identification/safety applications. About Applied Digital Applied Digital develops innovative security products for consumer, commercial, and government sectors worldwide. Our unique and often proprietary products provide security for people, animals, the food supply, government/military arena, and commercial assets. Included in this diversified product line are RFID applications, end-to-end food safety systems, GPS/Satellite communications, and telecomm and security infrastructure, positioning Applied Digital as the leader of Security Through Innovation. Applied Digital is the owner of a majority position in Digital Angel Corporation (AMEX: DOC). For more information, visit the company's website at http://www.adsx.com. Statements about the Company's future expectations, including future revenues and earnings, and all other statements in this press release other than historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and as that term is defined in the Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time, and the Company's actual results could differ materially from expected results. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequently occurring events or circumstances. |
