Abstract
This paper explores controversial issues that plague the use of microchip implants and how deeply rooted the issues are in many organizations today. The implications and concerns, along with the advantages, have been pondered by governments, religious groups, law enforcement agencies, the financial industry, and the medical field. We now have the technology to implant a microchip in very human on the planet. Will we, as a nation or a global community, ever support the use of the microchip implant in every man, woman and child around the world? The technology is available and the need is abundant. I believe our government will implement a mandate of microchip implants within the next twenty years.
Will the General Public Ever Accept a Microchip implant?

We Have the Technology:
Before the turn of the century, the idea of using microchips to carry and transmit large amount of information had been something that only happened in sci-fi movies. Today it’s something many fear will become as necessary as a social security number is to every person in the United States. Still, there are many who welcome such technology and realize the advantages it could bring to modern society. For example, it could easily store the kind of information that would simplify and expedite security, medical care, loan approvals, and background checks. (Sickler, M., 2002)
The ability to implant, In to a human, a means to quickly and securely gain access on their true identity and to attain necessary information about them would be invaluable to most agencies, doctors, bankers, and employers. It would also be nearly impossible to obtain false personal records to commit fraud and many other crimes. Identity theft and cyber hacking would be more difficult. The list of anti-criminal application would be endless.
How close are we? On September 16, 2001, only a few days after the terrorist attacks in the United States, Richard Seelig, a New Jersey surgeon who serves on the board of Owings Maryland-based Medical Advisory Systems, embedded under his skin tiny computer chips that can automatically transmit personal information to a scanner. (Sickler, M., 2002)
A company named Applied Digital Solutions from Palm Beach, Florida created a microchip that is in use in over one million animals for use in tracking and identification. In 2001a microchip for humans called the VeriChip was unveiled. It is about the size of a grain of rice and contains an identification number or other data, much like the ones used in animals.
Applied Digital has already won a three-year trial contract with the state of California to supply a version of the product that would track paroled prisoners in Los Angeles and alert authorities when they had violated the terms of their parole by leaving a set area. (Sickler, M., 2002) A potential market for the chips would be potential kidnap victims who could use these chips in combination with global-positioning devices.
Government:
The government’s idea to incorporate personal details into an RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) chip implanted into a passport or driver’s license sounds like a good one. It could expedite the process of passing through security checkpoints and minimize intrusive questioning at international borders. For some time now we have had the technology to put similar chips into a small encapsulated shell that could be implanted under the skin, which would prevent them from being lost or stolen. We have the technology and the need, so what is stopping it from happening?
Microchip implants can go a long way in crime prevention, identifying terrorists, finding lost or runaway children, identity at the scene of a crime, just to name a few advantages. The advantages of a microchip implant are countless, but what about the flip side of the coin? First, consider how this technology works. The RFID chip contains an electronic product code that can be read when a RFID reader emits a radio signal. The SkyRFID 433 MHz Ultra High Frequency Active RFID Tag has a read range of up to 500 meters (1,500 feet). (Sickler, M., 2002) The data from a tag can be sent directly to a computer, compiled as large files of information, and used for Massive Data Aggregation.
Massive Data Aggregation is the creation of massive databases containing unique tag data information that can be linked to a tag, or a tagged host’s every move. (Sickler, M., 2002) Like GPS systems, a record of where a person goes, when they were there, and for how long, could be compiled and processed so that a profile could be created from the host’s daily activities, habits and routines. Those records could be linked with personal identifiers to categorize people into groups and security risk levels.
Such information could also be used to determine if someone is a drug dealer, probable drug user, terrorist, or an average everyday worker that attends church on Sundays. It could tell if a person frequents bars, casinos, guns and ammo stores, strip clubs, and the list goes on. It could be used to prove suspect’s guilt or innocence by proving they were at any given time and what kind of person they are by their daily habits and assumed behavior.
Large scale, government owned, surveillance and data gathering would save lives, help fight the war on drugs, prevent acts of terrorism, free and protect the innocent, and provide an insight on the people that hold high positions in business and government. However, could it also threaten our privacies and civil liberties?
Religion:
Most Christian apologists teach that in ‘the latter days’ governments will force their people to take a mark on their hand or forehead in order to buy and sell. This will be followed by the revealing of the Antichrist and set the stage for and the Second Coming of Christ. It is believed that true Christians will not take the mark and that they will remove themselves from society and go into hiding. They believe the second coming of Christ will shortly follow and they will be given, by God, the means to survive without taking the mark. Some Christians believe that the ‘mark’ of the beast could be in the form of a microchip implant.
The last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation, speaks of the beast commonly referred to as ‘The Antichrist’, and a false prophet. It reveals that in the final days of man reign over earth, the two of them will deceive many people into receiving the mark of the beast. (Holy bible: New International version, Rev. 19.20)
In the book of Revelation 13:17 says ‘so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.’ And in the last part of Revelation 14:11 it says ‘There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.’ These are the only 2 references the bible gives on the subject; so many Christian theologians have drawn various conclusions as to what the mark, or the number, will actually be. Many believe it will be concealed to trick Christians into receiving it. Others believe that God must reveal to them the trust. Because of the vague nature of the biblical references, many Christians might be inclined to allow the implant of a microchip. From the book of Revelation, most Christians agree that if a mark or number, or something that contains it, is directly related to identifying a person for the purpose of buying and selling, it will be ‘The Mark of The Beast’. (Holy bible: New International version, Rev. 13.17)
Christians are also taught that when this time comes, we will be in ‘the latter days’, at which time we will be very near the second coming of Christ. Many scriptures reference “the latter days”, but probably the most common ones are; Matthew 24:29-31:29, 2 Peter 3:1-18:1 and 1 Thessalonians 5:1-9:1. These scriptures mostly talk about the relation between ‘the ladder days’ and its timing with Christ’s return. According to scripture, the second coming will be near when the Beast is revealed. From this teaching most Christians believe they will be able to ‘run for the hills’ and manage, detached from society, until Christ comes for them. Likely labeling them as a cultic group against a “One World Order”.
Banking and Finance:
The concept of a smart card that contains a microchip the size of a grain of rice in which a user could record their bank accounts and then debit and credit the accounts as they buy and sell, has one obvious downside. If this smart card gets lost, anyone who finds it could empty out the bank accounts assigned to it. Therefore, it only makes sense that the money of the future will be a microchip implanted underneath the skin of the user so it could not be lost or stolen. (Burghardt, T., 2013)
Medical:
PositiveID (PSID), the microchip implant company formerly known as VeriChip, is hoping to bring an added value to its business model by introducing Health Link, an electronic medical record service. (Burghardt, T., 2013) The pilot is targeted at ship, dock and maritime workers. Health Link provides access to a patient's online medical records. It can be used with an implanted microchip and linked to Microsoft (MSFT)'s HealthVault and Google (GOOG) Health. (Burghardt, T., 2013)
Today’s cumbersome methods of keeping our medical records barely work for stationary patrons. When we are on the move, or simply moving from one healthcare provide to another, it can be a hassle to make sure our medical history follows. If we are in an accident, or in fast need of medical attention, we often end up at an unfamiliar medical facility. Having instant access to medical history, present and past conditions, allergies, and a list of the meds a patient is taking, could make the difference between saving and losing a patient.
The use of a service like PositiveID would reduce liabilities for healthcare facilities. The faster a physician has a patient’s medical history, the better equipped they are to administer treatments. The admissions department would have fast and accurate access to a patient provider and coverage, getting them in front of a physician in a timely manner. In short, records would be quickly retrieved and approvals would be quickly obtained so that more lives would be saved.

Conclusion:
Many religious groups and government organizations believe that the implementation of a microchip implant would be the launching of a systematic decent in our personal freedoms. There soon could come a time that, without a microchip implant, we will not be able to travel, buy or sell, or otherwise participate in normal life of tomorrow. Police and employers, will consider those who resist full-disclosure of their financial, medical, religious, social, and political affiliations to be suspect. (Burghardt, T., 2013)
Microchip implants could contain information that can be used for and against each and every citizen of any country. With all the advantages and disadvantages there are many people in today’s society that believe it would be a solution to a myriad of problems, that we as a cyber-society need to overcome. They also realize it would be difficult to utilize the advantages without introducing the threats.
References
Sickler, M. (January-February, 2002). A human implanted with microchips Identification cards in the making. Michael. Retrieved from http://www.michaeljournal.org/chipID.htm Burghardt, T. (February 2, 2013). “Smart Cards” in a Surveillance Society: The Implanted Radio-Frequency Identification Chip. Global Research; Center for Research on Globalization. Retrieved from http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-implanted-radio-frequency-identification-chip-smart-cards-in-a-surveillance-society/10097
Elwell, W. A. (1996). Mark of the Beast. Evangelical dictionary of biblical theology, Baker Books. Retrieved from http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/bakers-evangelical-dictionary/mark-of-the-beast.html
Elwell W. A. (1997). Last Day(s), Latter Days, Last Times. Evangelical dictionary of biblical theology, Baker Books. Retrieved from http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/bakers-evangelical-dictionary/last-days-latter-days-last-times.html
Edwards, J. (April 13th, 2010). Your Medical Records: Soon to be Held for Ransom by a Chip-Implant Maker. Money Watch, CBS News. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/your-medical-records-soon-to-be-held-for-ransom-by-a-chip-implant-maker/