Eight persons with Alzheimers or complicated medical histories will be the first persons implanted with scannable ID chips. "Who gets to decide who gets chipped?" asked Marc Rostenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center. "...its an easier way to manage someone, like putting a leash on a pet." While this is a needed experiment for a controlled set of circumstances, it is unsettling for privacy advocates. The VeriChip produced by Applied Digital Solutions, Inc. is sure to raise long-term ethical questions. Brazil and Mexico are expressing interest from government and commercial enterprises. Where there are threats of kidnapping, there is already a market.
See "First Humans To Receive ID Chips", David Streitfeld, Los Angeles Times, May 8, 2002