In the backdrop of growing concerns over ID implants, the recent legislation introduced in the California state senate has imposed restriction on the forced implantation of RFID chips in human bodies.
The bill introduced by Democratic Senator, Joe Simitian bars an employer from compelling a person to get one of the devices implanted. Thus, the companies cannot issue RFID-equipped badges or ID cards for their employees. The data kept in the RFID devices can be manipulated to track employee’s movement and personal information by using a low-cost monitor.
No sooner the bill tabled in the house, the American Electronics Association has come down heavily on the senator stating,
The technology has been in existence for more than 50 years. It’s in more than 1.2 billion ID credentials worldwide. ... We’ve not seen a single showing of ID theft or harm.
Privacy of an individual should not be interfered by this latest technology. At the same time, we cannot also deny the contribution of RFID to various sectors from healthcare to agriculture to defense and retail. Therefore, it is high time for us to patch up the loopholes in the RFID technology.
Comments
This is a good thing. At one time it had entered into the debate of universal health care. There is also talk of using RFID for medical uses. Applied Digital Solutions has made an RFID device, called VeriChips, which can be implanted into humans for medical purposes. It was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These devices would be used to look up medical information on patients. Each would carry a unique ID number that would help doctors quickly access medical records. Earlier this year, congress put forth a health care bill. In the bill H.R. 3200 there is an interesting section called: Subtitle C- National Medical Device Registry. One part states: ”The Secretary shall establish a national medical device registry to facilitate analysis of postmarket safety and outcomes data on each device that is a class III devise; or a class II device that is a implantable, life-supporting, or life-sustaining” (111th Congress: H.R. 3200, pg 1001-1002). This could be construed as that universal health care would be provided to everyone, but to get it, one would need this class II devise implanted. Lets hope that other states will put a ban on human implementation.