A surprise decision by the Food and Drug Administration permits the use of implantable ID chips in humans, despite an FDA investigator's recent public reservations about the devices.

The FDA sent chip manufacturer Applied Digital Solutions a letter stating that the agency would not regulate the VeriChip if it was used for "security, financial and personal identification or safety applications," ADS said Tuesday.

But the FDA has not determined whether the controversial chip can be used for medical purposes, including linking to medical databases, the company added. In the United States, ADS has principally marketed VeriChip as a life-saving tool, saying, for example, that unconscious patients brought to emergency rooms could be scanned to determine their medical histories.

Repeated phone calls to the FDA's press office were not returned Tuesday, and ADS refused to provide the media with a copy of the agency's letter.

The decision comes five months after ADS made international headlines by implanting three members of a Florida family with the VeriChip, which is slightly larger than a grain of rice and emits a 125-kilohertz radio frequency signal that can be picked up by a scanner up to four feet away.

In an interview earlier this month, FDA investigator Wally Pellerite said he was unaware of any implantable device that was not regulated by the FDA. Cosmetic implants -– including breast and penile enhancers -– undergo a rigorous FDA examination to determine their effect on the human body despite having no medical function.

Although ID chips have been used in animals for years, they may have "inherent risks" when used in humans, Pellerite said in the interview.

On Tuesday, Pellerite referred questions to the FDA press office.

"At this point, I can't say anything other than to represent what the official agency opinion is in this matter," he wrote in an e-mail. "Previously I was free to give you both sides of the argument and to point out the pros and cons to each. I am no longer free to do that."

Applied Digital Solutions has gotten into hot water in the past for issuing conflicting statements to the media and to the FDA about the VeriChip's intended use. In May, the FDA launched an investigation into the VeriChip when the company repeatedly referred to the chip as a medical lifesaver in the media, yet assured officials it was merely an identification device.

Tuesday's press release was also confusing, with ADS repeatedly referring to VeriChip as a medical device despite the fact that the FDA has not ruled whether the chip may be used for health purposes.

ADS president Scott Silverman did not comment on the release, but said he was pleased with the FDA's decision.

"We'll now go into high gear with our sales, marketing and distribution plans in the U.S.," he said, adding that the company would be focusing on the security and ID aspects of the microchip.

Quoted:
whats the alternative? take the mark?

The maker of an implantable human ID chip has launched a national campaign to promote the device, offering $50 discounts to the first 100,000 people who register to get embedded with the microchip.

Applied Digital Solutions has coined the tagline "Get Chipped" to market its product, VeriChip.

The rice-size device costs $200. Those implanted must also pay for the doctor's injection fee and a monthly $10 database maintenance charge, said ADS spokesman Matthew Cossolotto.

The VeriChip emits a 125-kilohertz radio frequency signal that transmits its unique ID number to a scanner; the number is used to access a computer database containing the client's file. Customers fill out a form detailing the information they want linked to their chip when they undergo the procedure, Cossolotto said.

Earlier this week, ADS announced that the FDA had ruled that the VeriChip was not a regulated device when used for "security, financial and personal identification/safety applications."

The agency's sudden approval of the microchip came despite an FDA investigator's concern about the potential health effects of the device in humans. (Microchips have been used to track animals for years.)

The company is marketing the device for a variety of security applications, including:


Controlling access to physical structures, such as government or private sector offices or nuclear power plants. Instead of swiping a smart card, employees could swipe the arm containing the chip.
Reducing financial fraud. In this scenario, people could use their chip to withdraw money from ATMs; their accounts could not be accessed unless they were physically present.

Decreasing identity theft. People could use the chip as a password to access their computer at home, for example.

Cossolotto said ADS has gotten "hundreds" of inquiries from people interested in being implanted.

Meanwhile, privacy advocates are wondering about the specter of forced chippings.

"(ID chips) are a form of electronic leashes, a form of digital control," said Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center. "What happens if an employer makes it a condition of employment for a person to be implanted with the chip? It could easily become a condition of release for parolees or a requirement for welfare."

Rotenberg said EPIC has filed a Freedom of Information Request to learn more details about the FDA's sudden approval of VeriChip.

The chip has also alarmed some Christians, who fear it is the biblical "Mark of the Beast"; dozens of websites allude to the Satanic implications of the technology.

The company has consistently tried to allay such fears since the chip debuted in December 2001.

"It's a voluntary device that we think has enormous utility," Cossolotto said. "This is intended for good purposes."

The company hasn't decided yet if it will sell or freely distribute the scanner needed to read the chip, which costs about $1,500.

ADS said seven health-care facilities, located in Arizona, Texas, Florida and Virginia, have signed up to distribute the chip, in addition to mobilizing a large bus the company has outfitted as a mobile "chipping station." Would-be customers can also register online.

The company plans to release an implantable GPS ID chip by the end of the year.

Quoted:

Oh man! Look at what post nunber it is for e8ght !! coincidence...I think not....

Quoted:
Wow, that was pretty weird.  Didn't notice it myself 'til it was pointed out.

Quoted:


I'd sooner:
starve/be shot/drown/perform surgery on myself/have my gf's cat slowly perform surgery on me with her claws without anaesthesia/jump 50 stories onto a bike with no seat etc.  

Can't see any reason why I might, ever.  Even with a the world's biggest marketing campaign.