July 11, 2006
I Am Not A Number - RFID Use In Disaster Recovery
M.L. Baker of eWeek thinks that the Feds should back the use of RFID tags on human remains during disaster recovery. (Links below) While her reasoning makes sense scientifically, based on her explanation, when she mentions that VeriChip Corp donated RFID chips "to help identify human remains," I suddenly feel cautious.
Scott Silverman, CEO of Applied Digital, the parent company of VeriChip Corp, caused a ruckus recently when he offered VeriChip's RFID tags as a solution for identifying migrant workers and illegal immigrants in the United States. It may not not sound so bad, especially to those who want some way of making sure that visitors don't overstay their welcome.
However, Silverman's solution is to implant these chips into their bodies, usually in the web of flesh between thumb and forefinger - the way a number of people have done voluntarily. These are similar to the RFID chips that are implanted into household pets. But despite the DHS's (Department of Homeland Security) current opposition to the implanting of RFID chips into humans, VeriChip has already done this to 2,500 people, apparently with federal approval.
In fact, probably due to this exprience, VeriChip has already been involved with the disaster recovery process in Gulf regions after Hurricane Katrina - Mississippi in particular. As Baker, a biotech worker, points out in her article, identification of human remains is not always an easy task. The full process sometimes takes weeks after an initial sighting, at which point identification is not always possible, due to deterioration. RFID chips used early in the process can help with the identification process.
The claim is that the VeriChip RFID chips are sturdier than toe tags. I'm all for using RFID in a wide variety of ways. The scientist in me says that the applications are limitless. However, I've yet to see any satisfactory explanation - other than cost - of why chips have to be inserted subdermally rather than reside externally, on some sort of ruggedized toe tag or wrist band.
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