RFID Tags Taken Too Far?

http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/purchase/3079

Take a good look at the picture to the right. Many of you have probably seen small tags on animals on television and wondered what the use for this tag was. In our previous blog post, we spoke about how Radio Frequency Identification tags are used in the automotive industry and for inventory management in supermarkets. Cattle is considered inventory for many farmers and therefore, like inventory in grocery shops, must be tracked. This is where the RFID tag in the picture (right) plays its role. 

Many people think that the technology of using RFID tags on animals has been invented in recent years, but apparently this technology has been in the market since the 1980s. (http://autoid.mit.edu/pickup/RFID_Papers/008.pdf)  These tags help identify the animals and makes inventory tracking more effective for farmers. Scientists also tag animals they want to track to monitor their whereabouts for research purposes.

http://www.massappealnews.com/2010/04/30/mass-politics-hodges-on-immigration-law/

Believe it or not, tags have also been implanted into people. The first person to insert an RFID in their body was Kevin Warwick, a British professor, in 1998 for experimental causes. Some of the new RFID technology implanted in humans can be used to pull up information such as: medical records, personal information, and criminal records. One way the RFID chip has been used in humans is in prisons. The chip is implanted into inmates of high security in prisons. This technology enables security agents to keep track of their inmates and locate them via satellite. These chips implanted into inmates have enabled security agents to track in real time their prisoners, reacting faster in any emergency case. (http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9024960/Minnesota_turns_to_RFID_to_monitor_inmates)

Another way the RFID chip is used in humans is in the medical field through a technology called Verichip. Doctors implant this device into their patients to keep track of the patient’s medical records. This technology can help physicians in a case of emergency where the patient is unable to respond to give the physicians necessary background medical information before operation. While we were researching about Verichip on the company website, we noticed that it wasn’t included on the company’s product list. We also noticed how the company changed their name from Verichip Corporation to Positive ID Corporation in 2009. It turns out that scientific studies conducted in 2006 revealed that rats injected with these chips were developing cancerous tumors. The product was later taken off the market. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microchip_implant_(human) 

http://louiscis600.blogspot.com/2011/04/rfid-in-humans.html

After reading the previous paragraphs, some disadvantages of the RFID tags come to mind. The privacy of humans implanted with this technology is jeopardized. We were also surprised to find out the unsuccessful and alarming story of the Verichip. Evidently, technology (especially new-emerging technology) can have downsides that outweigh the benefits. Would you agree?