| XVI. | Human Microchip Implants Compared with Biotechnologies of Retinal Scanning, Finger Printing and Facial Scanning, and with Externally Worn Devices: Competitive and Parallel Technologies |
| Posted: January 12, 2004 |
| It is reasonable to assume that any desire for mass human identification will standardize on human microchip implants rather than other biotechnologically based systems, not unlike the case with pets. At the same time, it is conceivable that human microchip implants will be complemented by an array of biotechnological identification and externally worn tools. |
| A. | The Case Study of Pets |
| As has been seen in the case of pets, the microchip implant is winning out as the standardized ID over tattoos and, incidentally dog collar tags, in the European Union including Great Britain's forerunner Pet Travel Scheme (PETS), with the United States and Canada having recently been accepted into Great Britain's PETS. |
| B. | Shortcomings of Facial Scanning |
| Shortcomings inherent in facial scanning have the net effect of indirectly providing support for those promoting human microchip implants. Following are instances detailing the shortcomings in facial scanning. |
| 1. | Theoretically Acknowledged Shortcomings of Facial Scanning: University of Illinois Research: November 3, 2002 |
| The use of facial scanning in order to distinguish someone from the total universe of all people has theoretical limitations. |
| [QUOTE] | [UI Professor Thomas] Huang, a computer and electrical engineering professor, has been working on recognition systems for some time... |
| Still, while Huang thinks recognition systems have a future in "access control" from a security perspective, he's not sure they will ever be useful for picking the faces of bad guys out of the crowd, because faces can change too easily. |
| "Facial hair, hat, sunglasses, makeup cause a lot of problems," Huang said. "It's more useful for cooperative subjects ... in special cases like access to a lab, access to a computer, where ... the user wants to get in."281[UNQUOTE] |
| 2. | High Margin of Error with Face-Recognition Surveillance: CNET News.com: March 27, 2002 |
| Rachel Konrad, Staff Writer for CNET News.com, notes the limitations of face-recognition surveillance. |
| [QUOTE] | "It is abundantly clear that the security benefits of (face-recognition surveillance) would be minimal to nonexistent, for a very simple reason: The technology doesn't work," according to a recent report from the ACLU, citing a survey from the Department of Defense on the technology's high margin of error in pinpointing terrorists.282[UNQUOTE] |
| 3. | Facial-Recognition Limited in "One-to-Many" Searches: The New York Times: February 12, 2003 |
| Jennifer Lee, writing for The New York Times, distinguishes between "one to one" verification and "one to many" searches using facial recognition. |
| [QUOTE] | ...As databases grow, the ability to make accurate matches often declines... |
| Commercial facial recognition technology had about a 90 percent accuracy rate of "one to one" verification — that is, confirming that the person being scanned is the same one who was issued the document. It had a 1 percent false positive rate. But the study found that when the photographs were of lower quality — taken outdoors, for example, — the technology's accuracy rate could fall to as little as 47 percent. |
| Facial recognition is not as good as fingerprint recognition in "one to many" searches — that is, trying to match a single face against a huge database of faces. In experiments with 10,000 faces, the first identification was a match only about 77 percent of the time. |
| While its accuracy rate was above 90 percent, fingerprint recognition had its problems as well, especially with individuals whose fingertips had worn down, like farm workers, housecleaners and the elderly.283[UNQUOTE] |
| C. | Economic Comparative Advantage of Human Microchip Implants Touted: Adrian Sainz: Associated Press: April 1, 2002 |
| An Associated Press article includes a quote about the comparative economic advantage of human microchip implants in relation to other biotechnologies. |
| [QUOTE] | The VeriChip, made by Applied Digital Solutions in Palm Beach County, is about the size of a grain of rice. It would be injected under a person's skin, probably in the arm, and could be read only by scanners. |
| Similar technology has been used in the past few years on millions of dogs and cats as a way to identify the pets if they are lost or stolen... |
| Ultimately, the chips could be coupled with global-positioning satellites to locate Alzheimer's patients who have wandered off, or find kidnapping victims - an idea the company hopes to market in Latin America. |
| The chip could also be used as a security tool. |
| "It can be used as an inexpensive method to gain entry into a secure power plant, the cockpit of an airplane, or any place where a high level of authentication is required for entrance to a building," said Keith Bolton, Applied Digital vice president and chief technology officer. "It's a lot less expensive than retina scanning or thumbprint recognition equipment."284[UNQUOTE] |
| D. | British Scientist Kevin Warwick: Advantage of Implanted Chip Compared to Externally Worn Device: BBC News: September 2, 2002 |
| Reading University academic indicated implanted microchips would be more effective than an externally worn tracking device. |
| [QUOTE] | Parents afraid that their daughters could be abducted are asking a British scientist to implant a tracking microchip under their skin, so that they can be found quickly... |
| [Reading University academic] Mr [Kevin] Warwick said the system could work by using a mobile phone network or global positioning system, to pinpoint the person on an electronic map via a signal from the implant... |
| The procedure would involve putting a small transmitter about one inch long into a child's arm or stomach... |
| [Cybernetics expert] Mr Warwick said that watches with a similar function now on sale in the US, are too easy to remove and discard. |
| ...[I]f the general trend in Britain is in favour of such an operation it will be ready to go by Christmas"285[UNQUOTE] |