COMPANY PUSHES RFID IMPLANTS FOR IMMIGRANTS, GUEST WORKERS

[Guest guest]

http://www.newswithviews.com/McIntyre/Liz5.htm

 

 

 

COMPANY PUSHES RFID IMPLANTS FOR IMMIGRANTS, GUEST WORKERS

 

 

By Liz McIntyre & Katherine Albrecht

 

May 19, 2006

NewsWithViews.com

 

Scott Silverman, Chairman of the Board of VeriChip Corporation, has

alarmed civil libertarians by promoting the company's subcutaneous

human tracking device as a way to identify immigrants and guest

workers. He appeared on the Fox News Channel earlier this week, the

morning after President Bush called for high-tech measures to clamp

down on Mexican immigrants.

 

Privacy advocates Katherine Albrecht and Liz McIntyre are warning that

a government-sanctioned chipping program such as that suggested by

Silverman could quickly be expanded to include U.S. citizens, as well.

 

The VeriChip is a glass encapsulated Radio Frequency Identification

tag that is injected into the flesh to uniquely number and identify

people. The tag can be read silently and invisibly by radio waves from

up to a foot or more away, right through clothing. The highly

controversial device is also being marketed as a way to access secure

areas, link to medical records, and serve as a payment device when

associated with a credit card.

 

" Makers of VeriChip have been planning for this day. They've lost

millions of dollars trying to sell their invasive product to North

America, and now they see an opportunity in the desperation of the

people of Latin America, " Albrecht observes.

 

VeriChip's Silverman bandied about the idea of chipping foreigners on

national television Tuesday, emboldened by the Bush Administration

call to know " who is in our country and why they are here. " He told

Fox & Friends that the VeriChip could be used to register guest

workers, verify their identities as they cross the border, and " be

used for enforcement purposes at the employer level. " He added, " We

have talked to many people in Washington about using it.... "

 

Silverman is reportedly also planning to share his vision on CNBC's

Squawk Box if a slot opens up tomorrow (Friday) morning sometime

between 6 and 9 AM Eastern Time. He was originally scheduled to appear

on the show this morning, but technical problems at the Florida studio

prevented his appearance.

 

The numbering and chipping of people seems like a plot from a

dystopian novel, but the company has gotten the buy-in from highly

placed current and former government officials, including Columbian

President Alvaro Uribe. He reportedly told Senator Arlen Specter

(R-PA) that he would consider having microchips implanted into

Colombian workers before they are permitted to enter the United States

to work on a seasonal basis.

 

" The mantra 'chip the foreigners' has little appeal once people

realize the company wants to stamp its 'electronic tattoo' into every

one of us, " cautions McIntyre. " Electronically branding and tracking

visitors like cattle is VeriChip's excuse to get the government on

board. But if that happens, we'll all be in their sights. "

 

Tommy Thompson, former Secretary of Health and Human Services joined

the board of VeriChip Corporation after leaving his Bush

administration cabinet post. Shortly thereafter, he went on national

television recommending that all Americans get chipped as a way to

link to their medical records. He also suggested the VeriChip could

replace military dog tags, and a spokesman boasted that the company

had been in talks with the Pentagon.

 

Privacy advocates warn that once people are numbered with a remotely

readable RFID tag like the VeriChip, they can be tracked. Once they

can be tracked, they can be monitored and controlled.

 

Albrecht and McIntyre, the authors of " Spychips: How Major

Corporations and Government Plan to Track Your Every Move with RFID "

believe the world's people will stand firm against chipping. " Our

country was founded on principles of freedom and liberty. We're

betting that the American people will see the end game and buck

VeriChip's attempts, " said Albrecht. " We also believe the people of

Latin America will rise up in opposition once they read our book. "

 

The Spanish language version of " Spychips " will be hitting shelves

across Latin America next month.

 

© 2006 - Liz McIntyre -

 

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Liz McIntyre is a consumer privacy expert and author of Spychips: How

Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track your Every Move with

RFID. In this explosive book, McIntyre and co-author Katherine

Albrecht reveal how organizations like Procter & Gamble, Gillette,

Wal-Mart, and even the U.S. Postal Service plan to use tiny computer

chips smaller than a grain of sand to track everyday objects-and even

people-keeping tabs on everything you own and everywhere you go.

 

Katherine Albrecht is a privacy advocate and co-author of Spychips:

How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track your Every Move

with RFID. Albrecht has testified on RFID technology before the

Federal Trade Commission, the California state legislature, the

European Commission, and the Federal Reserve Bank, and she has given

over a thousand television, radio and print interviews to news outlets

all over the world. Her efforts have been featured on CNN, NPR, the

CBS Evening News, Business Week, and the London Times, to name just a few.

 

Web Sites: SpyChips.com and NoCards.org

 

E-Mail: liz