Human Bar Codes
Days after 9/11/01, New Jersey surgeon Richard Seelig didn’t want to take any chances that his body could be lost in a disaster. After seeing the firefighters writing their social security numbers on their forearms, he knew there must be a better means of I.D. Dr. Seelig became the first human to be injected with a Verichip: a tiny radio frequency identification chip the size of a grain of rice. Is this the dawn of the human bar code?
Applied Digital Solutions, the Florida-based company behind the Verichip, is now working with the Food and Drug Administration to bring human bar codes to the general population. Already, Verichips are being used abroad. Government officials in Mexico have been injected with Verichips to help locate them in the case of a kidnapping. In Barcelona, a beach club is injecting patrons with the chips in lieu of hand stamps.
When combined with global positioning systems, the Verichips could save lives–for example, helping kidnapping victims to be tracked down. Of course, they could also violate privacy. Trucking companies and hospitals are already using variations of radio frequency IDs on badges to track employees. But what happens when the IDs are under the skin and can’t be readily removed?
Keep Reading
Most Popular
Geoffrey Hinton tells us why he’s now scared of the tech he helped build
“I have suddenly switched my views on whether these things are going to be more intelligent than us.”
ChatGPT is going to change education, not destroy it
The narrative around cheating students doesn’t tell the whole story. Meet the teachers who think generative AI could actually make learning better.
Meet the people who use Notion to plan their whole lives
The workplace tool’s appeal extends far beyond organizing work projects. Many users find it’s just as useful for managing their free time.
Learning to code isn’t enough
Historically, learn-to-code efforts have provided opportunities for the few, but new efforts are aiming to be inclusive.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.