Who are you? They really wanna know…
By Tom Wolfe | Phillips Murrah P.C. |
The Journal Record
[ JUNE 18, 2009 - OKLAHOMA CITY, OK ] - Concerned that the omnipresent UPC bar code, which celebrates its 35th birthday this month, might be too obviously Orwellian, Congress recently (and quietly) passed legislation requiring all United States-born infants receive a subdermal RFID tag, to better track their whereabouts and tendencies as they grow into adults. Citing the advantages of universal human registration for purposes of census, demographic studies and national security, legislators said that tagging humans with RFIDs will also cut crime rates, help parents keep track of their kids and reduce or eliminate lines at the grocery store. Did Congress really do this? No. Not yet, anyway.
RFID stands for Radio Frequency IDentification, a technology that uses radio wave-emitting computer chips smaller than a grain of sand to identify and track objects at a distance. Also known as "spy chips," they are used by corporate giants like Wal-Mart, Gillette, Procter & Gamble, Intel and UPS to track and manage inventory. Government agencies such as the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security are also fans of the chip.
The proliferation of RFID tags into the fabric of American society greases a very slippery slope and poses some interesting challenges to our beliefs about privacy and what it means to be free.
Unlike the 35-year old bar code system of classification that uses the same number for all identical items, RFID tags provide a unique identifier for every single item that makes its way into the supply chain. This sophisticated product tagging, combined with detailed databanks of consumer purchase history compiled from credit card transactions, would create a system of universal product registration.
The FDA and U.S. Patent Office have approved a subdermal RFID tag for human implant. And seven years ago, a family in Florida made history when they became the first people to volunteer to be "chipped." Since then, human applications for RFID implants have skyrocketed—and not just in America.
Late last year, Indonesia dropped plans to chip HIV/AIDS patients in order to monitor their "behavior" and determine if they were infecting others; a penalty was imposed if they were.
In Osaka, Japan, the clothing and bags of school children will receive RFID tags to track their movements for security purposes. In this same country, one can purchase an RFID tag to turn a cell phone into a credit card; simply waive it over a point-of-sale device, and the transaction is complete.
Beyond issues of freedom and privacy, some religious groups have expressed concern—from the advent of the bar code to the RFID tags of today—that such a system of branding or implanting humans amounts to the Biblical "mark of the beast." As depicted in the Book of Revelation, this mark is required to participate in economic activity under the government of the Antichrist.
Does all of this sound futuristic or fanatical? Consider how technological advances (cell phones, bio-identification, GPS) combined with strong collective desires for security and convenience can create an environment that, despite being considered absurd in recent years, quickly becomes accepted reality.
In the 1970s, The Who asked, "Well, who are you? I really wanna know. Tell me, who are you? 'Cause I really wanna know." In a few years, they might not have to ask—they'll just download all the information they want directly from your RFID tag.