News from Jerusalem

Where is the most logical place to put a tiny microchip that is injected under the skin to be used for payment, and only operates within a couple inches of a reader? The hand is the most obvious form for convenient.  Microchips can be implanted into the human body with an integrated circuit device or RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Device) transponder in a silicate glass encasement.  This subdermal implant typically contains a unique ID number that can be linked to information contained in an external database.  If used for payment for security the RFID scanner may require a secondary personal identification method. Such as, through the fingerprint or iris at the same time the RFID microchip is read in the hand or forehead. Both of these forms of biometrics are already currently being used for security. Is it mere coincidence that Revelation describes the Mark of the Beast being in the hand or in the forehead?

Since 1998, the ability to implant a microchip into a human has significantly impacted various aspects of our culture in both positive and negative ways.  The British scientist, Kevin Warwick, conducted the first reported experiment with an RFID implant in 1998.  His implant was tested to open doors, switch on lights, and cause verbal output within a building. The original implant has since been held in the Science Museum in London. 

In 2002, the VeriChip Corporation (formally known as Applied Digital Solutions Inc. and Digital Angel Corporation) received preliminary approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its device in the U.S. within specific guidelines. The device received approval in 2004. 

In March 2004, the Baja Beach Club in Barcelona, Spain was the first business to use the VeriChip technology to provide an easy payment option and to grant customers access to VIP areas. VeriChip RFID device was implanted in the hand or arm of club and a unique 10-digit identification number in the VeriChip device is entered into the system.  Neal Stephenson in his 1995 novel, The Diamond Age, informed science fiction readers about the use of these chips as credit card devices was portrayed in his book. 

December 23, 2004, WorldNetDaily (WND) reported the satellite telecommunications company, ORBCOMM, has signed an agreement with VeriChip Corporation (a subsidiary of Applied Digital).  VeriChip will work with ORBCOMM to develop and market new military, security and health-care applications in the U.S. and around the world.  Successful field-tests by Applied Digital of a prototype of an implant for humans with GPS (global positioning satellite) technology was previously reported by WND.  ORBCOMM's Network Control Center in Dulles, Va. has satellites that monitored 24 hours a day.  After Verichip is inserted into a human, it can be tracked by GPS technology and information sent to the Internet identifying an individual's location, movements and vital signs; and then storing it in a database for future reference. “ORBCOMM's relationship with VeriChip provides yet another new and important industry that will use the ORBCOMM satellite system and its ground infrastructure network to transmit messages globally,” stated ORBCOMM CEO Jerry Eisenberg.  Applied Digital refrained from public discussion about implants and the possibility of using them to usher in a ‘cashless society’ after privacy concerns and protests regarding the use of technology by governments. The company issued numerous denials, stating it had no plans for implants, as WND reported in April 2002, Applied Digital spokesman, Matthew Cossolotto, accused WND of intentionally printing false information.  However, less than three weeks later, the company issued a press release announcing that it was accelerating the development of a GPS implant. 

In 2006, in order to encourage the use of the microchip implant into humans Verichip had been providing 80 hospitals a VeriChip scanner.  However, the VeriChip Corporation has been sued by its shareholders for making "materially false and misleading statements" regarding hospital acceptance figures. Cancer is another concern from the Veterinary and toxicology studies carried out from 1996 to 2006.  They found that lab mice and rats injected with microchips sometimes developed cancerous tumors around the microchips (subcutaneous sarcomas).  According to the FDA, other medical complications the implantation of the VeriChip may cause are electrical hazards, MRI incompatibility, adverse tissue reaction, and migration of the implanted transponder. 

The Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs (CEJA) of the American Medical Association, published a report in 2007, alleging that RFID implanted chips may compromise privacy. Because there is no assurance that the information contained in the chip can be properly protected.  Not to mention health risks as a result of chips that may travel under the skin. 

On November 10, 2009, PositiveID Corporation was created through the merger of VeriChip Corporation and Steel Vault Corporation. The PositiveID (formally Verichip) is the first and only FDA-cleared implantable microchip for patient identification with the identity security space provided by Steel Vault, which focuses on access and security of consumers' critical data. The timing of this merger is interesting given the uses the new Obama healthcare plan has in using this device. 

Potential security risks exist since nearly all implantable microchips are unencrypted, they are extremely vulnerable to being read by third-party scanners. By scanning secretly, someone could steal the information on a chip and clone the signal, enabling a hacker to impersonate a chipped individual. This could create security problems for building or computer access or potentially enable the criminal misuse a medical account held by an unrelated person.  It also relies on the security of the stored external database of information, which is also vulnerable to hackers. 

Many Christians see the development of implantable microchip and RFID as a potential for the ‘mark of the Beast’ as prophesied in the Bible's Book of Revelation, which will be required for making purchases that is located on the hand or forehead. Others that object to the use of implanting microchips are concerned with health or security risks. As a result of many peoples concerns, Wisconsin and North Dakota passed legislature to prohibit employers and others from forcing anyone to have a RFID device implanted under their skin.

by Wendy Smith