Tracking Junior With a
Microchip
By Julia Scheeres
Oct. 10, 2003
A Mexican company has launched a service to implant microchips in
children as an anti-kidnapping device.
Solusat, the Mexican distributor
of the
VeriChip
-- a rice-size microchip that is injected beneath the skin and transmits a
125-kilohertz radio frequency signal -- is marketing the device as an
emergency ID under its new VeriKid program.
According to a press release announcing the collaboration, the foundation
has estimated that 133,000 Mexican children have been abducted over the past
five years.
Foundation officials did not respond to interview requests.
A Solusat executive said the terms of the agreement are still being
hashed out.
"There are distinct projects on the table, but one form of finding
(children) is by putting scanners in strategic locations where a search is
being conducted for a VeriKid that has been reported missing," said Carlos
Altamirano, Solusat's associate general director.
The company envisions placing walk-through scanners -- similar to
metal-detector portals used in airports -- in malls, bus stations and other
areas where a missing child may appear. The chip also could be used to
identify children who are found unconscious, drugged, dead or too young to
identify themselves.
Critics said kidnappers could circumvent the device easily.
"My big concern is that kidnappers will simply use 'high-tech' tools like
knives to get rid of them," said Lauren Weinstein, creator of the
Privacy Forum, an online digest
related to privacy and technology issues.
The Electronic Privacy Information Center also has
warned that
inserting a type of LoJack into children and workers to track their movements
could violate their civil liberties.
Solusat began selling VeriChip -- which is similar to the biochips used
to track cattle and lost
pets
-- in Mexico in July; it's been sold in the United States since October
2002.
The VeriChip is injected under the skin of the upper arm or hip in an
outpatient procedure. A special scanner reads the RF signal emitted by the
microchip to obtain the device's ID number, which then is entered into a
database to access personal data about the individual. Other potential uses of
the chip, according to company officials, include scanning unconscious
patients to obtain their medical records or restricting access to
high-security buildings by scanning workers to verify their clearance.
In Mexico, the cost of the VeriChip and the doctor's fee for implantation
is about $200, in addition to a $50 annual fee to maintain the database. The
handheld scanner costs an additional $1,200, Altamirano said. The company
refused to disclose the price of the portal scanners.
VeriChip manufacturer
Applied Digital
Solutions said it plans to roll out the VeriKid service in other
countries, including the United States, in the future.
Related:
VeriChip's 'VeriKid' System launched in Mexico ('For The
Children')
BUSINESS WIRE
October 01, 2003
09:20 AM US Eastern Timezone
VeriChip Corp.
Signs 5yr deal for Brazil - Mexico Sales Growing
BUSINESS WIRE
September 17, 2003
09:47 AM US Eastern Timezone
