Points Of Presence

By Laura Guevin
Editorial Director, BiometriTech

My last column focused mainly on the problems I have with mandatory microchipping of pets and animals. I figured it would inspire a bunch of pro-chipping responses, but I actually only got a handful, and two of the readers were advocates of human microchipping. I briefly mentioned the VeriChip, the subdermal RFID chip manufactured by VeriChip Corp., a subsidiary of Applied Digital Solutions, in my last piece.

Interestingly, only four days after the column was published, the FDA determined that the VeriChip is not a regulated medical device for security, financial, and personal identification/safety applications. It is a regulated device for health information applications, when it is marketed to provide information to assist in the diagnosis or treatment of an injury or illness. I won't "Get Chipped" (a trademarked slogan of VeriChip) anytime soon for reasons I'll outline later in this column, but I thought I would share some information about the process for those interested or concerned.

At least 11 people throughout the world have already been chipped, according to Matthew Cossoluto, spokesman for Applied Digital. And he's one of them. He says the procedure is quick and simple, and those interested can pre-register through the company's Web site. Then it's just a matter of getting to one of their seven authorized VeriChip Centers (now located in AZ, FL, TX, and VA), or making arrangements to get chipped near your home. And there's always the VeriChip ChipMobile, a fully furnished chipping center on wheels, which was on tour in Florida throughout October.

The chip itself goes for $200, although the company is offering a $50 discount to qualified shareholders and the first 100,000 registrants. Applicants must also pay a fee for the chipping process. The process includes applying a local anesthetic to the area to be chipped, and using a thick needle to insert the chip just under the skin. Chips are usually implanted in the tricep area of the right arm. Cossoluto says he can't feel his chip, nor can he see it. In fact, he wouldn't know it was there had he not been awake during the procedure. The chip itself is the size of a grain of rice, and is biologically compatible, so it should not cause an allergic reaction. It has up to a 20-year lifespan according to Cossoluto, although that assessment is based on implantable animal chips since the company hasn't been able to test the actual lifespan of the VeriChip.

The VeriChip is very similar to biometric technologies in that it can be used for a number of applications including access control for security, and anti-fraud protection for financial transactions and identity theft. Other uses include identification of accident victims, or lost children or seniors. The company plans to pursue use of the chip for relaying medical information in the future, and Cossoluto said, "We're still working out the details with the FDA." Of course, a scanner device has to be present at the point of access, such as an ATM, loan processing center, law enforcement agency, hospital, etc. in order to identify the person. This is accomplished through a low-level radio frequency which passes from the scanner to the chip. The chip, which is otherwise dormant, then emits a radio frequency signal transmitting a unique identification number, the only piece of information actually stored on the chip. The number is linked to VeriChip's database, the Global VeriChip Subscriber Registry (GVS Registry), where additional information is stored. Today's VeriChip is read-only, meaning that additional information cannot be saved to it, although future variations may have different capabilities.

Cossoluto stressed that VeriChip users have complete control over the amount of information stored in the GVS Registry, which is maintained by Digital Angel Corporation, in which Applied Digital has a majority stake. The company makes wearable human and pet global positioning system (GPS) tracking devices. The database is secure, he assured me, but this reminds me of one of the inherent flaws of many biometric systems in which data is stored in a central repository: The system is only as secure as the database.

One of the advantages of the VeriChip over biometric systems is that it's less expensive than many of them, and less complicated, said Cossoluto. "Sometimes we call it the un-biometric," he added. The chip can easily integrate with biometric data, which can also be stored in the registry for multi-factor authentication. "We are privacy advocates ourselves," he said in response to claims that the chip has the potential for abuse and privacy invasion. It actually helps to protect privacy, since individuals voluntarily control the information linked to it, in the interest of protecting their identities, finances, and security. It also has an opt-out procedure -- simple removal -- which biometrics don't (unless you feel a compulsion to sand off your fingerprints or remove your irises).

Applied Digital claims the VeriChip is being marketed for voluntary use only. However, in a Time magazine article from March of this year, Dr. Richard Seelig, the company's medical-applications director, suggested that airline crews get chipped to ensure terrorists don't infiltrate a cockpit in disguise. In fact, he believes it should be mandatory. "I think we have a right to demand that," Seelig said in the Time article. "Our lives are in their hands."

WHY I WOULDN'T GET CHIPPED
Seelig's comment is the precise reason I get squeamish about the notion of microchipping humans. And it's not the idea of walking around with a piece of hardware stuck in my arm that gets under my skin (although that part does make me a bit uncomfortable). It's the potential for abuse, involuntary chipping, and the enormous human rights violations it carries that make me nervous.

Right now, I don't see any benefit to getting chipped over using biometric systems for the security and identification applications the VeriChip is being marketed for. Cost is the most obvious argument in favor of the chip, but the expense of getting it implanted, coupled with the expense to those who have to purchase the scanners, is certainly equal to or perhaps greater than many types of biometric systems. Information is stored in a central database just like most biometric information, and is therefore "hackable" and capable of falling into the wrong hands.

I think my main concern with the device in general is the future ramifications it has. For instance, it doesn't have GPS capability -- yet. It can be used in tandem with Digital Angel's wearable GPS products, however, and Applied Digital is working on a prototype for an implantable GPS chip along with Digital Angel. This would enable an individual to be tracked anywhere throughout the world.

Sure, this has benefits for missing persons. But it has enormous potential for abuse, and this far outweighs the benefits in my opinion. For instance, what happens when governments and corporations start making microchipping mandatory? Or worse, what happens if prisoners or even just suspected criminals are involuntarily chipped? What if babies are chipped at birth? It may not happen in the U.S., at least not right away and not publicly, but I'll bet it happens more quickly abroad, where privacy and civil liberties are not enforceable rights. In fact, Cossoluto mentioned that Applied Digital has had a lot of interest from Latin American companies that want to buy implantable GPS chips.

My other concern involves children and senior citizens who may be chipped against their wills. Consent of a legal guardian is required for the procedure, and what's to stop a frazzled parent from dragging their belligerent teenager to the ChipMobile? Is this a human rights violation? Once the chips become writeable, meaning information can be saved to them after they're implanted, and once they become trackable via GPS, the person implanted is identifiable anytime, and anywhere -- and is also a moving target. Just as the chip has the capability to aid a person in a time of need, it can also be a liability if the person with the scanner or GPS tracker has bad intentions.

Applied Digital's slogan for the VeriChip is "It's there when you need it." My major concern with the chip, however, is that it's also there when you don't need it -- or even want it to be there.

Laura Guevin is the editorial director of BiometriTech, an online magazine and newsletter covering biometric technologies and products. She welcomes your comments at lguevin@tmcnet.com.