FC: Update on Digital Angel and human trials of implantable chips

From: Declan McCullagh (declanat_private)
Date: Tue Feb 12 2002 - 19:31:41 PST

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    Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 11:05:02 +1100
    From: Nathan Cochrane <ncochraneat_private>
    Organization: The Age newspaper
    To: Declan McCullagh <declanat_private>
    Subject: ADS pushes ahead with human implants despite earlier denials
    
    Hi Declan
    
     From the "I-told-you-so" department.
    
    Destron-Fearing/Applied Digital Solutions/Digital Angel/Verichip is pushing 
    ahead with its implantable tracking chip in a human test in Florida, 
    despite earlier denials it would.
    
    What's the betting ADS will have its path smoothed by a paranoid 
    Administration? How much longer before implants are mandatory by law for 
    all American citizens, and those in the rest of the world?
    
    As I said eight months ago, you don't spend $US130 million acquiring 
    intellectual property and then not use it.
    
    I'd like to see ADS spin itsway out of this one. It will be something along 
    the lines of: "Digital Angel is not pursuing it, but our new 
    company/subsidiary/licensee, VeriChip, is".
    
    --
    
    Family volunteer to be first for microchip implants
    
    A Florida couple and their teenage son are volunteering to become the first 
    family to be implanted with identification microchips.
    
    The chip, which is smaller than a vitamin pill, can be scanned for medical 
    and personal information.
    
    Jeff and Leslie Jacobs say the technology is like something from Star Trek.
    
    Their 14-year-old son, Derek, says he is looking forward to "riding the 
    wave of the future". He already uses his home computer to listen for 
    extraterrestrial life.
    
    The chips, which are implanted in the arm, are made by Florida company 
    VeriChip.
    
    MORE
    http://www.ananova.com/yournews/story/sm_519410.html
    
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    Richard M. Smith (rmsat_private)
    December 27, 2001
    
    Applied Digital Solutions faces a very tough sell for its new VeriChip 
    implant ID system for human beings. A VeriChip is a small radio transmitter 
    about the size of a piece of rice that is injected under a person's skin. 
    It transmits a unique personal ID number whenever it is within a few feet 
    of a special receiver unit. The technology is designed to replace ID 
    systems such as company ID cards and medical emergency ID braclets. In the 
    future VeriChips may also be used like driver licenses, passports, and 
    credit cards.
    
    MORE
    http://computerbytesman.com/privacy/verichip.htm
    
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    The First Denial
    Digital Angel® is no longer pursuing implant technology for humans, a 
    spokesman for the company said yesterday.
    
    Dr. Lawrence Webber of Digital Angel Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of 
    Applied Digital Solutions, told WorldNetDaily the company has "no plan at 
    this time for implant technology." Rather, the company's patented sensor 
    technology is being used in externally worn devices only, such as watches 
    and pagers.
    
    ---
    
    A Subsequent Denial
    "We appreciate the opportunity to issue a statement about Digital Angel
    to your readers.  We have studied the marketplace for emergency location
    and medical monitoring devices and we're convinced there is a huge
    potential market need for a wearable, external device.  That is our sole
    focus.  Let there be no mistake or confusion about this.  Digital Angel
    is being developed as a wearable, wristwatch-type device that will,
    among other things, help save lives by locating lost or missing children or 
    at-risk patients who may require emergency medical attention.  We are not 
    now developing, nor do we have any plans to develop, anything other than an 
    external, wearable device."
    
    ---
    
    Original articles
    
    More on Digital Angel, chip implants, and human tracking
    The "Mark of the Beast" tag is very accurate, given the
    circumstances.
    
    Digital Angel owns patents on implanted transmitter technology following
    Applied Digital Solutions' $130 million acquisition September 2000 of
    Destron Fearing, a company that specialises in implanted animal
    trackers. The CEO is trained vet and patent holder, Dr Randolph K.
    Geissler.
    
    MORE
    http://www.politechbot.com/p-02154.html
    
    ---
    
    Digital Angel launches human, animal GPS tracking system
    Palm Beach, Fla.-based Applied Digital Solutions Inc. now is offering
    details of its rollout plan for Digital Angel, which it touts as the
    "first-ever combination of advanced biosensor technology and Web-enabled
    wireless telecommunications linked to GPS." The first target market
    appears to be Florida. The company says that by using advanced biosensor
    capabilities, Digital Angel will be able to monitor key body functions,
    including temperature and pulse, transmitting that data along with
    accurate location information to a ground station or monitoring facility.
    Potential applications include locating lost or missing individuals,
    locating missing or stolen household pets, monitoring parolees, managing
    livestock; pinpointing stolen property and preventing the unauthorized use 
    of firearms.
    
    MORE
    http://www.politechbot.com/p-02876.html
    
    
    
    
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