Previous Politech message: http://www.politechbot.com/p-04095.html --- Date: Thu, 24 Oct 2002 10:49:37 +1000 From: Nathan Cochrane <ncochraneat_private> Organization: The Age newspaper To: declanat_private Subject: Re: FC: FDA permits use of implantable ID chips in humans Hi Declan I think ADS's bald faced lies to you and the members of your list about its plans in the past should send off warning flares about its intentions and the ethical foundation of its culture. Given concerns recently over corporate governance among businesses, ADS needs to answer its critics. This is Trustworthy -- or Treacherous -- Computing at its very most intimate. But I wonder what role the FDA has -- an implantable chip for e-commerce applications is not a food, drug or medical prosthetic as far as I can see? As I said back in February, "What's the betting ADS will have its path smoothed by a paranoid Administration?" With any decision as controversial and of such profound significance as this, it is beholden on a federal government department in a liberal, transparent and open democracy to release the full details of its deliberations, including any conversations of both a formal and informal nature. That includes intragovernmental and interdepartmental transactions. There can be no confidence in the decision until this is done and scrutinised. But it further begs the question I also asked back then of "How much longer before implants are mandatory by law for all American citizens, and those in the rest of the world?" Denials @ http://www.politechbot.com/p-03135.html "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." Nathan Cochrane Deputy IT Editor :Next: The Age and Sydney Morning Herald http://www.next.theage.com.au --- Date: Thu, 24 Oct 2002 14:53:16 +1000 From: Nathan Cochrane <ncochraneat_private> Reply-To: ncochraneat_private Organization: The Age newspaper To: declanat_private Subject: Re: FC: FDA permits use of implantable ID chips in humans Hi Declan WorldNetDaily (WND) broke the Digital Angel story. Its reporter was subsequently castigated by the company, allegedly for twisting a spokesman's words, but it appears the news service was on the money all along. WND has done an excellent job of tracking this implant tracking company's machinations. If I was the WND editor, I would demand a written apology from ADS on behalf of my staff. I was chilled when I read in WND's story below that ADS's CEO, Richard Sullivan, had suggested all foreign nationals in the US should be implanted to replace green cards (which you don't need just to visit the US, anyway). I suggested this tongue in cheek on Dave Farber's IP list last November, but I never expected anyone to take me seriously. Subject: IP: Re: New law contains ID-card proposal http://lists.elistx.com/archives/interesting-people/200111/msg00014.html Disclosure: both Declan McCullagh and Nathan Cochrane are referenced in the story. YOUR PAPERS, PLEASE ... Press coverage of implanted chips distorted? Tech experts warn real threats go unreported by 'mainstream' media Posted: May 10, 2002 12:43 p.m. Eastern By Sherrie Gossett © 2002 WorldNetDaily.com As "Good Morning America," "Inside Edition," and "The CBS Evening News" televise the much-hyped "chipping" of eight individuals starting today, Lee Tien, the senior staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, is speaking out passionately about what many experts believe are serious threats posed by implanting chips in humans - threats he says are not being adequately portrayed by the major media. ... Tien is speaking out because he believes the media are doing a poor job of reporting the threats that the chip can propose to individual rights, as well as the technical security weaknesses inherent in the Digital Angel technology delivery system. "The impression I'm getting is that the implantation thing has a 'gee-whiz' factor that the media seems to like," Tien told WND. "But ever since Sept. 11, reporters have been less aggressive about challenging the privacy implications of the technologies or the practices." Tien is especially concerned over involuntary uses of the chip and the company's intentional strategy to "handle" the public and media, so they are gradually accepting of a more dangerous form of the chip - the GPS-tracked "Digital Angel" chip. CEO Sullivan has suggested that all foreigners entering the U.S. should be injected with the company's chips, which he said should replace green cards. ... "They're doing the frog in the water trick - getting the memo out that this is voluntary, making it hard for civil liberty advocates to counter it," Tien explains. "But no matter what great uses are promised by the company, it is just part of an overall, larger trend - a movement toward the much bigger location tracking development of the chip." MORE http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=27584 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Like Politech? Make a donation here: http://www.politechbot.com/donate/ Recent CNET News.com articles: http://news.search.com/search?q\clan -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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