RFID implants in health care bill

[velkly]

Just think how the state could control you if all that was known about you - credit history, criminal record, health history, licenses, bank balance, etc, was all put on that little chip.

This is not far from what they are already asking for...

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/08...y5268079.shtml

Section 431(a) of the bill says that the IRS must divulge taxpayer identity information, including the filing status, the modified adjusted gross income, the number of dependents, and "other information as is prescribed by" regulation.

Section 245(b)(2)(A) says the IRS must divulge tax return details -- there's no specified limit on what's available or unavailable -- to the Health Choices Commissioner. The purpose, again, is to verify "affordability credits."

Section 1801(a) says that the Social Security Administration can obtain tax return data on anyone who may be eligible for a "low-income prescription drug subsidy" but has not applied for it.

They will already have your health data, here's your tax data... hope you don't use EFT for any tax refunds or late payments because there goes access to your bank data...

Now all we need is the chip...

[PennsyPlinker]

Revelation 7:3



So God is going to put RFID chips in people's heads?

The marks that are described in Revelation are visible, because the author describes what they look like. They are marks of allegiance, either to God or to Satan. Less like this



and more like this

I doubt God will need to put a chip to make a mark, or make it visible to anyone He chooses to see it. I don't know, but I figure I will find out. And who is to say that they will be marks of allegiance only? Certainly this technology is adequate to fulfill that as well as contain a person's history and profile.

As for the whole chip thing, my attitude about them in general is that they are tools, just as guns are tools. In and of themselves, they are neutral. It is only the use to which they are put that I am addressing. Revelation and God aside, I am not too thrilled about the government knowing where I am all the time. If it comes down to the point where they are monitoring my cell phone or my truck, then it will be time to lose those things in interest of as much privacy as I can retain. But, if someone shows up and tells me I need an implant so I can buy and sell, you can be pretty sure I will resist.

[Philbert]

I doubt God will need to put a chip to make a mark, or make it visible to anyone He chooses to see it. I don't know, but I figure I will find out. And who is to say that they will be marks of allegiance only? Certainly this technology is adequate to fulfill that as well as contain a person's history and profile.

As for the whole chip thing, my attitude about them in general is that they are tools, just as guns are tools. In and of themselves, they are neutral. It is only the use to which they are put that I am addressing. Revelation and God aside, I am not too thrilled about the government knowing where I am all the time. If it comes down to the point where they are monitoring my cell phone or my truck, then it will be time to lose those things in interest of as much privacy as I can retain. But, if someone shows up and tells me I need an implant so I can buy and sell, you can be pretty sure I will resist.

It's possible that the author intended to say the marks had a dual purpose. Before RFID, bar codes were postulated as a possible "mark of the beast". These fit the text better because they would be visible to an observer as well as providing a unique identifier for commerce. But the chatter these days seems to be all RFID.

I agree that the chips themselves are neutral tools. They serve an important purpose of letting medical personnel identify medical implants noninvasively, but they do raise privacy issues. I don't even like having them in the passports because they are not secure to anyone who has a scanner and feels like reading your information.

[Halftrack]

Do you have links for these micro-rfid that can be injected without you knowing, and are as thin as a thread? I've looked into RFID a few times for work, and most tags are still at least the size of a dime. The implantable chips are pretty thick, they can't be snuck into a flu shot. At least what I last saw.

I think phil and pennsy threw an image up that's close. I know they're getting a little smaller than that.

I'll have to look more for the ones in the clothing.

You are correct, though. Right now, one of the smallest ones won't fit in a vaccine needle, but should go through an 18 or 20 gauge pretty easily. That's still smaller than the needles used for blood donations.

Sorry, I got a little carried away on the sarcasm for the vaccinations. It's too easy to do sometimes.

Yeah, I think the mark will be readily visible and easily discernible as well.

[MTechnik]

I'd reply to the posts, but it'd be a long list... I didn't realize that the RFID chips had gotten THAT small. Still a bit big to slip in without one knowing, but impressive nontheless.

[PennsyPlinker]

It's possible that the author intended to say the marks had a dual purpose. Before RFID, bar codes were postulated as a possible "mark of the beast". These fit the text better because they would be visible to an observer as well as providing a unique identifier for commerce. But the chatter these days seems to be all RFID.

I remember the Chick tracts, the comic book style ones, with pictures of people walking around with bar codes on their heads and hands. Maybe, maybe not, but the mark will no doubt be visible to someone. The thing is, as technology improves and advances, so does our understanding of how these things might come to pass. Who would have thought of the amount of information that could be stored on something as small as a thumb drive? My first PC had a 20 meg HD! We thought that was high tech, and that was a scant 21 years ago.

[MTechnik]

Hitachi has a new generation called "powder" - http://www.rfid-weblog.com/50226711/...sy_hitachi.php

"smallest RFID tags and measure just 0.05mm x 0.05mm."

That said, they have no antennas, can hold one 30-some digit number, and come programmed from the factory. I don't think you can "read" them from more than a couple of inches away, much less through the body (water, what we're mostly made of, blocks radio signals).

They are thinking about tagging money with them, and things like diamonds and other jewelry. I wonder what the smallest implantable (and readable) one is - probably the one that's the grain of rice.

[velkly]

Company Requires RFID Injection

http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/134

Two employees have been injected with RFID chips this week as part of a new requirement to access their company's datacenter.

Cincinnati based surveillance company CityWatcher.com created the policy with the hopes of increasing security in the datacenter where video surveillance tapes are stored. In the past, employees accessed the room with an RFID tag which hung from their keychains, however under the new regulations an implantable, glass encapsulated RFID tag from VeriChip must be injected into the bicep to gain access, a release from spychips.com said on Thursday.

Although the company does not require the microchips be implanted to maintain employment, anyone without one will not be able to access the datacenter, according to a Register article.

Ironically, the extra security sought may be offset by a recent discovery of Jonathan Westhues, where the security researcher showed the VeriChip can be skimmed and cloned, duplicating an implant’s authentication. When contacted, those at CityWatcher were unaware of the chip's security issue, according to the spychips.com release.

[MTechnik]

Company Requires RFID Injection

http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/134

I would be terminating my employment. I've seen a lot of draconian datacenter security policies, but that takes the cake, the ice cream, and the cherry on top.

[velkly]

I would be terminating my employment. I've seen a lot of draconian datacenter security policies, but that takes the cake, the ice cream, and the cherry on top.

Couldn't agree more. I'll stick to my card access, thank you very much.