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Implantable Spy Chip Gets Green Light from U.S. By Tim McDonald April 5, 2002 10:43AM Digg It!   Bookmark to del.icio.us The company said the VeriChip could be combined with a global positioning system and used for security purposes by potential kidnap victims.   A Florida company Thursday said that it will begin marketing and selling a microchip that can be implanted under the skin, after receiving the go-ahead from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA advised the company, Applied Digital Solutions, that its biochip, called "VeriChip," is not considered a medical device and therefore is not subject to FDA regulation. FDA officials said that as long as the biochip is used for identification purposes only, it will not have to meet strict FDA guidelines. The ruling saves the product from having to undergo the agency's rigorous and lengthy safety testing procedures. "The FDA said that VeriChip has no medical function, and Applied Digital Solutions is now free to sell, market and insert the chips in individuals," company spokesperson Matthew Cossolotto told NewsFactor. 'Distinction Without a Difference' Although the company has advertised the VeriChip in the past as a potential method of storing a person's complete medical history, at this stage the device will contain only a number to be used for identification. However, that ID code can be transmitted via Internet or phone to a secure data storage site, where it can be cross-referenced, allowing authorized personnel to obtain detailed medical information. "In some ways, it's kind of a distinction without a difference," Cossolotto said. "We could have, and we might in the future, put more information on the chip . But right now we're very happy to put just the ID verification code and start getting it into the marketplace." The company said it has targeted VeriChip and its "life-enhancing" technology toward patients who may arrive at hospitals unconscious or unable to speak, as well as at workers who need top-security clearance. The biochip also could prove valuable for tracking children, Alzheimer's patients and convicted felons on parole. Similar technology has been used in the last few years to keep track of pets. Politicians, Felons and Kidnap Victims A South Florida man, Jeff Jacobs, is expected to be the first recipient of the VeriChip. The plight of the Jacobs family has been well publicized: Jacobs, a 41-year-old dentist, must take up to 10 medications a day for a variety of ailments, including cancer and a degenerative spinal condition. According to his family, Jacobs has arrived at emergency rooms several times unable to speak. The company also said the chip could be combined with a global positioning system (GPS) and used for security purposes by potential kidnap victims. (continued...) 1  |  2  |  Next Page >   Advertisement 1.   Apple Lags in Green Computing 2.   Differing Net-Neutrality Bills Debated 3.   EDS Wants You to Fly Friendlier Skies 4.   Microsoft Announces 'E- Government' 5.   Foreign Donors Giving to Myanmar You Can Fight Back Against Piracy New technology safeguards software. Average Rating: 'Crimeserver' a Trove of Stolen Data 1.4GB of data amassed in three weeks. Average Rating: Virtual Bunker Foils ID Thieves Preventing both theft and fraud. Average Rating:

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