Introduction to the Verichip Comprehensive Guide

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Below is a comprehensive guide and introduction to The Verichip.
I have put together this guide using various confirmed sources, in particular a very detailed report from 2004 by Pat Necerato which I have updated.

What Is The Verichip?



The Verichip(TM) is the world's first implantable radio frequency identification (RFID) microchip for human use.
The Verichip it is said by the company, is about the size of a grain of rice although it is more like two, and each Verichip contains a unique verification number, which can be used to access a subscriber-supplied database over the Internet providing the implanted person’s information, regardless of where they are or what they’re doing.



Unlike typical forms of identification, the Verichip cannot be lost, stolen, misplaced or counterfeited.
Once implanted just under the skin, via what The Verichip Corporation calls a “quick, painless outpatient procedure (much like getting a shot)”, the Verichip can be scanned when necessary by a person or organisation with a Verichip scanner.

The outpatient "chipping" procedure lasts a few minutes and involves only local anesthetic followed by quick insertion of the Verichip.
A small amount of Radio Frequency Energy passes from the scanner energizing the dormant Verichip, which then emits a radio frequency signal transmitting the individual’s unique verification (VerichipID) number.

Each person that has The Verichip will have a unique Subscriber Number, which provides instant access to something called the “Global Verichip Subscriber (GVS) Registry”.

This is accessed through a password protected web server. This data is maintained by something called the GVS Registry Operations Center. There are 2 locations. One located in Riverside, California and the other in Owings, Maryland.

The microchip stores a code that releases person-specific information when a scanner is passed over it.
Think bar codes on food and other products that bring up names and prices on a cashier's screen.

The Verichip itself contains no medical records, just codes that can be scanned and revealed in a doctor's office or hospital. With that code, health providers can unlock part of a secure database that holds that person's medical information, including allergies and previous treatments.

The electronic database, would be updated with each medical visit.

This consists of an implantable RFID microtransponder (the chip), an inserter, a proprietary hand-held scanner, and a database containing the patient approved healthcare information.

The Verichip is also considered a “subdermal radio frequency microchip”.
Once inserted under the skin after the brief outpatient procedure, the Verichip cannot be noticed, it’s virtually inconspicuous to the naked eye.

The small amount of radio frequency energy that passes from the scanner energizes the dormant Verichip, which then emits a radio frequency signal transmitting the verification number.
The healthcare provider must be registered with the Verichip system to receive patient info.



Each Verichip contains a unique 16-digit verification number that is captured by briefly passing a proprietary scanner over the insertion site.
The captured 16 digit number links to the database via Internet access. The previously stored information is then conveyed via the Internet to the registered requesting healthcare provider.

The Verichip will be used in a variety of security, financial, emergency identification and other applications. It has already been implanted in security and government workers (see below)

The current recommended location of the microchip is in the triceps area between the elbow and the shoulder of the right arm, although it is now being looked at to insert the chip into the right hand for ease of access.

The Verichip is not an FDA-regulated device with regard to its security, financial, personal identification/safety applications, only for it's medical use.

Who Made The Verichip?



Digital Angel Corporation is the manufacturer of Verichip and has licensed the technology to Verichip Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of a company called Applied Digital.
Applied Digital sees itself as a provider of Security Through Innovation(TM) and partly owns a company called Digital Angel Corporation.
Digital Angel Corporation, formerly Medical Advisory Systems (MAS), specializes in providing location and monitoring products and services.

Digital Angel Corporation provides enhanced remote monitoring capabilities of key bodily functions, such as pulse and temperature. The company's Animal Identification Systems division provides technology that tracks and identifies livestock and more than 10 million pets in Europe and the US.
In 2004, the company sold its Medical division, which provided pharmaceutical kits to foreign travelers in North America, and to those in remote locations.

Applied Digital Solutions owns more than 70% of the company (Digital Angel Corporation)

Who Is Applied Digital Solutions?



Applied Digital Solutions develops innovative security products for consumer, commercial, and government sectors worldwide.
Their products provide security for people, animals, the food supply, government/military arena, and commercial assets.

Included in their diversified product line are RFID applications, end-to-end food safety systems, GPS/Satellite communications, and telecomm and security infrastructure.
Applied Digital is the owner of a majority position in Digital Angel Corporation. For more information, visit the company's website at
http://www.adsx.com .

Who Is Digital Angel Corporation?



Digital Angel Corporation develops and deploys sensor and communications technologies that enable rapid and accurate identification, location tracking, and condition monitoring of high-value assets. In other words, they can track just about anything once their technology is implemented into a device, animal, or human.

Applications for the company's products include identification and monitoring of pets, fish, livestock, and humans through its patented implantable microchips.

They also do location tracking and message monitoring of vehicles and aircraft in remote locations through systems that integrate GPS and satellite communications together.

They can then monitor the conditions of the object, animal or human such as temperature and movement using advanced miniature sensors.

For more information about Digital Angel, visit the company's website at
www.DigitalAngelCorp.com .

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What Does The FDA Say About The Verichip?



The FDA (the U.S. Food and Drug Administration) cleared the Verichip for Medical Applications in the United States on October 13t, 2004.
Applied Digital held a conference call on October 13th at 10:30 am eastern time in order to discuss the FDA's decision, the Company's marketing strategy and the future applications for Verichip.
The call was also webcasted and was available on the Home Page of Applied Digital's web site at www.adsx.com .

The FDA approving the Verichip is the result of the Applied Digital’s application for product using it in the medical and healthcare fields. They originally submitted this application in October 2003.

What Does The General Public Say About The Verichip?

When the news came out on a chip, which can be inserted, into humans, that seems to be an open door for a barrage of comments regarding the end of the world and the "mark of the beast." That aside The Verichip poses some serious security issues.
Most people, especially the press, would like to have people take a less theological approach to this announcement of the Verichip.

That's not to say Bible believing people can't express their disapproval of such a chip, but it is hard to back up their disapproval by quoting passages from the Bible.
To those who don't believe in the Bible, they might as well be quoting from the dictionary or a children’s book. Even if your disapproval is caused by your religious beliefs, you can also easily come up with other reasons why an implantable chip may not be a good idea for the world.

When the decision was first announced by Verichip to offer a human implantable chip, there was much public distaste, which forced Verichip to make a press release stating they were no longer looking at implanting humans. This statement however, changed dramatically after the tragic events of 9/11, and verichip jumped on the human chipping campaign trail, even splashing out on huge verichip mobile vehicles, touring the streets and attending venues with their 'get chipped' theme.



Critics warn that it could open new ways to imperil the confidentiality of medical records. And the tracking abilities are a serious issue.
With the Food and Drug Administration giving Applied Digital Solutions the ability to market the Verichip for medical purposes, there’s no telling what this could turn into for identity theft and invasion of privacy.
The microchips have been implanted in over 1 million pets. But the
chip's possible dual use for tracking people's movements, as well as speeding delivery of their medical information to emergency rooms has raised alarms.

"If privacy protections aren't built in at the outset, there could be harmful consequences for patients," said Emily Stewart, a policy analyst at the Health Privacy Project.
To protect patient privacy, the devices should reveal only vital medical information, like blood type and allergic reactions, needed for health care workers to do their jobs, Stewart said.
An information technology guru at Detroit Medical Center, however, sees the benefits of the devices and will lobby for his center's inclusion in a Verichip pilot program.
"One of the big problems in health care has been the medical records situation. So much of it is still on paper," said David Ellis, the center's chief futurist and co-founder of the Michigan Electronic Medical Records Initiative.

As "medically mobile" patients visit specialists for care, their records are fragmented on computer systems that don't talk to each other.
"It's part of the future of medicine to have these kinds of technologies that make life simpler for the patient," Ellis said.
Pushing for the strongest encryption algorithms to ensure that hackers can't nab medical data as information is transferred from chip to reader to secure database, will help address privacy concerns, he said.
In 1994, the U.S. Department of health and Human Services announced $139 million in grants to help make real President Bush's push for electronic health records for most Americans within a decade.
William A. Pierce, an HHS spokesman, could not say whether Verichip and its accompanying secure database of medical records fit within that initiative.
"Exactly what those technologies are is still to be sorted out," Pierce said. "It all has to respect and comport with the privacy rules."

What does The Verichip Cost?



Applied Digital gave away scanners to a few hundred animal shelters and veterinary clinics when it first entered the pet market 18 years ago.

Now, over 60,000 such scanners have been sold.

To kick-start the chip's use in people, Applied Digital provided $650 scanners free at 200 of the nation's trauma centers.
In pets, implanting the chip runs about $50.
For humans, it would cost $150 to $200, said Angela Fulcher, an Applied Digital spokeswoman.

Fulcher could not say whether the cost of data storage and encrypted transmission of medical information would be passed on to providers.

How Will Hospital Workers Know Who To Scan?



Because the Verichip is invisible, it's also unclear how health care workers would know which unconscious patients to scan.
Company officials say if the chip's use becomes routine, scanning people's arms for hidden chips would become second nature at hospitals.
Ultimately, the company hopes patients who suffer from ailments such as diabetes and Alzheimer's disease or who undergo complex treatments, like chemotherapy, would have chips implanted.

How Many People Will Get The Verichip?



If the procedure proves as popular for use in humans as it is in pets, that could mean up to 1 million chips implanted in people. Over 2,000 people worldwide are estimated to have had the devices implanted, surprisingly very few of them in the United States.

The Verichip’s company's chief executive officer, Scott R. Silverman, is one of a half-dozen executives who have had chips implanted.
Silverman said chips implanted for medical uses could also be used for security purposes, like tracking employees' movements through nuclear power plants.

Who Is Using The Verichip Now?

The verichip has become very popular in the past 3 years. Nightclubbers, Government Workers, Medical Patients, Security Workers, the chip was even implanted into the victims bodies of huricane katrina to keep track of them! For a more detailed look at who is using The Verichip now have a look around the Verichip section of this forum.

Does The Insertion Of The Verichip Require Stitches?



With the use of a large verichip syringe, the microchip is inserted under the skin in a procedure that generally takes less than 20 minutes and usually leaves no stitches.

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Opposition to The Verichip

There are many people and groups opposed to the verichip although these have a small voice next to large corparations and government bodies. However if groups like ours and others share information and put up a visible resistance we make a positive stand.



Some fundamentalist preachers have said the economic use of such chips could be a sign of the apocalypse because the Bible says the anti-Christ will have control of all commercial transactions. People without The Mark of the Beast will not be able to buy or sell at that time, the Bible says.

The Bible Revelations Chapter 13 - "And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads. And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."

In comments following the demonstration of the Verichip, Chief Technology Officer Dr. Keith Bolton, drink in hand, expressed exasperation over implantation protests coming from a "noisy 20 percent," whom he identified as Christians who believe the Digital Angel chip is the "mark of the beast."
He was sure "the other 80 percent wouldn't mind." "Besides," he added, "FDA approval could take years, and we can start making money off of this thing now!"

Is Applied Digital Solutions Trying To Hide Something?



After a news reel called “WorldNetDaily” first publicized the "Digital Angel" in several online articles, Applied Digital Solutions, took cover.
Under criticism by many such as privacy advocates, as well as Christians concerned over the biblically prophesized "mark of the beast," the Nasdaq-traded company removed all references to human implantation from its website.

This happened in October of 2000. At the time, its CEO claimed publicly that there were "no plans" to make the technology implantable, but rather for the user to "wear" the device outside his body, say, on a wristwatch.

Does September 11th Have Anything To Do With The Verichip’s Implantibility?



After Sept. 11, and the resulting urgent national drive to increase America's homeland security, many Americans became susceptible to valuing safety over freedom.
It seems that the creators of the Verichip found a golden opportunity to re-introduce the subdermal (implantable) microchip it had previously deemed too hot for the American public to handle.

It seems in a post-9/11 landscape, where various high-tech security systems are vying for supremacy and a lasting relationship with the government, ADS wants its piece of the pie.

Their high-tech security system has sparked a renewed debate over how best to profit from emergent identification technologies while maintaining a fair balance between civil liberties and the increased need for homeland security.

Will People Be “Chipped” Against Their Will?



Critics of the chip express concerns over the specter of persons being injected with the chips against their will, perhaps surreptitiously in conjunction with a routine vaccination.

In addition, they are concerned about the possibility of such chips eventually being mandated by the government as a form of ID. World governments are already introducing mandatory ID cards linked to a national database, and verichip seems to be the next steps. It also has to be noted that world government, particually The US have shown interest in verichip, The US are currently in talks with Verichip about implanting troops and immigrants. The Attorney General of Mexico has also had chips implanted into his workers.

Can The Verichip Save Lives?

Yes, possibly. If someone were to need an emergency implant, it could help. Its initial use is to get ID for medical implants, such as heart-regulating devices and artificial joints. The chip can hold info on required settings, the device's original components, and other essential parameters. It is also a ready source of data about the implantee's identity and medical condition.

Is There A Hidden Agenda With The Verichip?



Yes, Applied Digital Solutions are also pushing use of the chip for emergency and security applications, to "enhance present forms of ID," to enable search-and-rescue operations, and assist in various law enforcement activities.

This isn't so much of a “hidden agenda”, they are outwardly moving towards markets that would enable such products to be available in the near future, and the effects can be seen today in these sectors.

Is The Verichip Tamper Proof?

The company say yes and contend that its technology is superior to biometric technologies, pointing out that implantation makes it a "tamper-proof" means of identification, "substantially diminishing theft, loss, duplication or counterfeit."
Also, it would be quite hard to get rid of the Verichip without a surgical procedure.

However the verichip has been hacked recently (see security section on this forum), although verichip so far have refused to comment on this and continue with their statement that it is totally secure, yet more and more privacy issue's are arising.

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Are The Concerns Over The Privacy And Tracking Capabilities Of The Chip Legitimate?

In a word, Yes!

Verichip have long been working on a trackable human verichip and remember, this has already been used in other applications such as pets. Verichip also recently proudly released information about their Thermolife sytem, an independant power supply located within the verichip. Verichip, and linked partners such as Applied Digital specialise in tracking and sattelite systems. Solusat, a company involved with verichip and who are their Mexican distributor are a company that instantly springs to mind. More details in the Verichip Tracking section of this forum.
Solusats website here - http://www.solusat.com.mx/



What Is The True Potential Of The Verichip?



To truly understand the future potential of this technology, it is necessary to look back to one of the most underreported events of 2000.
The event was the private unveiling of Applied Digitals prototypical
Verichip. Remember, this happened in 2000.
Then, the technology centered on an implantable chip that, once injected into a human being, allows it to be tracked in real time via GPS (Global Positioning System), the information then relayed wirelessly to the Internet, where the person's location, movements and vital signs can be remotely monitored and stored in a database.

The company first announced that it had acquired the rights to this device in December of 1999. Company documents described Digital Angel as "an implantable transceiver … inserted just under the skin … that sends and receives data and can be continuously tracked by GPS. “
When implanted in a body the device is powered electromagnetically by muscle movement and can be triggered by the 'wearer' or the monitoring facility." Implantation of Digital Angel was said to be "future" and "subject to FDA approval," with its preliminary use being outside the body, in the form of a wristwatch.

Well, as you can see, it’s now “the future”.

Did Applied Digital Always Plan On “Implanting” The Chip?

Yes, initially, they strategy implied a "Phase I – Phase 2" approach: using the technology outside the body first, followed by a Phase 2 for implantation, dictated by the need to wait for FDA approval as well as the need to gain popular acceptance.

Well, they got approval! Two years ago!

Prior to the unveiling of the prototype, Applied Digital Solutions CEO Richard Sullivan issued a statement intended to underline the "historic first" of this "breakthrough in communications technology."
He announced that Secretary of Commerce Norman Mineta would attend the private event. "We're extremely pleased that Secretary Mineta will attend our Digital Angel demonstration," said Sullivan. "Secretary Mineta has been a champion of 'digital inclusion' – making access to digital technologies more widely accessible to all segments of society."

The CEO added: "He has been an advocate of creating viable partnerships between the public and private sectors as part of a national digital inclusion campaign. We believe our Digital Angel technology has enormous potential along these lines." "In fact," added Sullivan, "Digital Angel represents an exciting 'new frontier' in the digital revolution."
The announcement followed Mineta's appearance as keynote speaker at the Inland Empire Technology Summit for ADS subsidiary Timely Technology Corporation.
The focus of that event was said to be "sharing insight concerning current and future impact of technology on government, on education and on our daily lives."

When Was The Protype “Verichip” First Unveiled?



The first unveiling of Digital Angel was held the evening of Oct. 30, 2000, at Cipriani's of 42nd St. in New York City.
The invitation-only event was closed to the public, and was made up mainly of members of the government, the military, private investors and Wall Street analysts. Media presence was scant.
Some of those in attendance were surprised to find that not only was Secretary of Commerce Norman Mineta in attendance, but he was featured as the keynote speaker of the evening.

Was President Clinton In On The Verichip?

On the night of October 30th, when Secretary Mineta was scheduled to speak at the unveiling of the Verichip (on a futuristic set, shining in purplish light not to mention), CEO Richard Sullivan took the podium welcoming attendees to "the future."

He stressed that the evening was special because "we have a number of very important government officials with us this evening … including … Norman Mineta."
Sullivan emphasized Mineta's role in "helping to develop technology and e-commerce" and added: "As if all that weren't enough … Secretary Mineta personally advises the president of the United States [then President Clinton] on all matters concerning commerce, economics and Digital Inclusion. …"
Mineta was further portrayed as a "champion of forging effective partnerships between the public and private sectors." Sullivan made clear that "this idea of forging 'partnerships' is one of the main reasons the secretary is here this evening … and why we're so excited about having him here with us."

Is The Government In On The Verichip?



Yes. Going back to the same night of October 30th, when Secretary Mineta was about to speak at the unveiling of the Verichip CEO Richard Sullivan took the podium welcoming attendees to "the future." After introducing Mineta, the two shook hands as Sullivan announced: "I just want to say how delighted we are at Applied Digital Solutions to launch an exciting new partnership with you and the federal government in the important area of digital inclusion."

Mineta, watched by several bodyguards, gave a keynote speech highlighting the value of working together to build teams of people, partnering with "firms like yours" so that the "elderly and less fortunate" might benefit from the "great technological revolution."
He underscored the historic chance to spread the benefits of the information technology to everyone in society, and emphasized the importance of digital technology to America's economy, emphasizing the importance of information technology in the economic success of the U.S.
Mineta added: "I applaud you, Dick Sullivan, for your success and the direction you are taking with Applied Digital Solutions. … As a nation, we cannot afford to miss out on this technology.

Of course, the governments interest in verichip has been a lot less low key in recent years, former Health and Human Services Secretary and Bush ally Tommy Thompson is now a member of verichip and on the company board.

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Is It True That The Verichip Market Is A $100 Billion Dollar Marketplace?



Yes, there is a projected $100 billion marketplace for Digital Angel. Critics have claimed this figure is impossible unless universal implantation mandated by government was being considered.
Conservative estimates for use in the U.S. were said to be $70 billion, characterized as 26 potential vertical markets. A Verichip company spokesman, who asked not to be named,
revealed that the $70 billion projection was provided by McKinsey & Co. management consultants.

Is The Verichip Supported By Big Financial Partners?

Randy Geissler, CEO of Digital Angel.net Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary, said that strong alliances were key to Digital Angel's success, and that the company's close partnerships with Raytheon-Hughes, the U.S. Department of Energy and pharmaceutical giants like "Schering-Plough" meant that the company was well-positioned for success.
Geissler was the former head of the animal-tagging company Destron Fearing.
ADS (Applied Digital Solutions) acquired the company in order to leverage its management experience and relevant technologies, like its trademarked "BioBond," a cover used to coat the glass-encased chip, causing fibrocytes and collagen fibers to grow around the chip, preventing migration of the chip through body tissue.

Does Digital Angel, The Company Affiliated With The Verichip, Have Permission To Track Humans?

Yes, under the guise of Destron Fearing, Digital Angel has won FCC licensing approval of the frequencies needed for widespread tracking of humans.
The most anticipated part of the event on October 30th 2000, was the actual demonstration of the technology, described as a "show" by Chief Scientist Dr. Peter Zhou.
Dr. Zhou is a former research scientist at the Max Planck Institute in Stuttgart, Germany, and a holder of advanced degrees in solid state physics and materials science from the Beijing University of Science and Technology and the University of Pennsylvania, Zhou also has numerous patents in the field of electronic detection systems.
Zhou announced that an ADS engineer equipped with the chip would be tracked through the streets of Manhattan. Attendees watched as the engineer's location and movements were tracked in real-time via GPS, relayed wirelessly to the Internet, and displayed on a large screen before the audience.
The computer screen represented the engineer's location as a red arrow on a large color street map of New York City.

Can People Operating The Verichip Sense My Body Temperature?



Yes, during the demonstration, as the audience watch Dr. Zhou track the red arrow (the man with the Verichip) through the streets of New York, the tracking followed him as he moved forward, backward, to the left or right, miles away, as he moved through the city.
A separate Internet screen displayed the employee's pulse and body temperature for the past two weeks.
Not all of the medical monitoring capabilities of the technology were displayed, such as monitoring heart patients, or using blood-oxygen analysis to determine if the subject being monitored is awake or asleep.
The person monitoring the subject can even tell exactly where on the continuum between waking and sleeping he is.

How Does The Verichip Know Such Personal Details About Me?

The building blocks of Digital Angel technology are a convergence of micro-electronics, information technology and life sciences.
The centerpiece is an implantable microchip. It includes an antenna that receives signals from GPS satellites and collects biological information from embedded bio-sensors.
At the request of the ground station, it will send these two groups of information to the monitoring center, through different levels of ground stations and Internet systems. It has
a built-in GPS receiver and a wireless transceiver.

Can The Verichip Detect Illness Before The Implanted Person Even Starts Feeling Sick?

Yes. The potential applications for Digital Angel advocated by ADS are truly stunning. Also notable is the number of items that would make the government a customer.
Applications included medical monitoring: enabling a doctor to remotely access a "wearer's" vital signs and analyze them, as well as detect potential problems before he was even aware
of symptoms.
Of course, "the doctor would know where to locate the patient." Security applications included locating kidnap victims, lost children, wander prevention, autistic persons, infant protection and the elderly.

Will The Verichip Be Used In To Fight Wars?



Yes. Warfare applications will enable commanders to always know where their soldiers are located and whether they are alive or wounded. Which also brings up security issues of it's own in warfare, i.e. hands of the enemy?
Regardless of the risks, In this capacity, Digital Angel was said to be "an invaluable aid, both tactically and strategically to the government. Verichip, at the time of writing Verichip are currently in talks with the Bush administration in regards to chipping not only US Troops, but also Immigrant Guest Workers. Ties with verichip and the white house are reportedly strong, aided by the recruitment of Tommy Thompson to the Verichip Board, an ally of The Bush family.

Can Unauthorized People Check The Contents Of Your Verichip?

Supposedly not according to Verichip. In the realm of personal id, Applied Digital stressed that requiring an “ID” for logon would prevent unauthorized access to computers. This of course will mean very little as the system expands and many people will be issued with the login ID. It also had to be noted that The Verichip itself has already been hacked for it's unique security number and the information made available on the internet (see the health and security section on this forum).

Could The Verichip Become The Universal Standard For Computer Access Security?

The suggestion has been made. Digital Angel could conceivably become a universal standard for computer access security superior to all other systems, because other systems reside in the machine, not the person.
(What about the fingerprint scanner?)



How Will Law Enforcement Use The Verichip?

Law enforcement uses recommended for the Verichip include its use to track parolees, people under house arrest, and individuals in witness protection programs.

How Will Verichip Be Used For Gun Control?

The use of the chip was advocated as a method of gun control, preventing unauthorized use of firearms. It was predicted that overall, Digital Angel will become an interface between the
human and electronic networks. The chip will prevent the gun from being fired by anyone other than its owner by locking the gun digitally when someone with the wrong ID grabs it. A little that the signiture guns you see in James Bond Movies.

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How Long Will The Verichip Last Under the Skin?



The microchip is said to remain for the life of the individual with the unique ID number intact.
This was mentioned on their web site and the wording was exactly the same as that used under the Destron Fearing animal-tracking page, with the substitution of "individual" for "animal."

Although these references to human implantation were once removed from the website pre 9/11, they are now back and human implantation is now the main goal of Verichip.

Did Verichip Corporation Ever Deny They Were Planning To Implant The Device?

Yes, but before it got approved. During a speech, Sullivan sought to remove concerns over implantation, by denying that the company ever had such plans: "Let me be very clear on one important point," he said. "This potential marketplace is for an attachable device … something worn on the outside … close to the skin.
We're not even planning on or even considering any other applications at this time. Only external uses! All our energy, all our focus … all our effort is in this direction, period. Any other approach or suggestion is purely hypothetical speculation at this time."

When Did The Verichip Company Come Clean About The Device?

The company continued to deny implantation plans until June 2001, when it offered a response statement to be posted on Declan McCullagh's Politech website.
The statement asserted, "We are not now developing, nor do we have any plans to develop anything other than an external, wearable device."

Were Investors Waiting For The Government To Get Involved Before Investing?

Yes. Even at the conclusion of the October 2000 role out event, private investors like Nathan Rosenblatt indicated that they were waiting to see more details of the partnership with the government unveiled before investing.
Dr. Yongguang Chen and Dr. Duanyi Wang called Digital Angel a "great invention" and said for "final success" they hoped that the U.S. government would "further loosen" military restrictions on the use of GPS satellites.
These gentlemen are scientists who were a part of a research team that worked on developing the technology.

When Was the Verichip Supposed To Be Launched?



The prototype was originally scheduled to debut in December of last year, but in July the company signed an agreement with Princeton University and the New Jersey Institute of Technology for additional scientists to work on the project, under Dr. Zhou's leadership.
They worked on issues like "antenna size" and "body tissue absorption."
As a result, the agreement "helped implement an accelerated schedule for delivery of a working prototype of Digital Angel," resulting in it debuting nine days before the presidential election.

How Is The Government Positioning Themselves With Their Involvement Of The Verichip?



When questioned about the nature of the partnership with the government way back in 2001, company spokesman Matthew Cossolotto suggested it would include the subsidizing of Digital Angel for "minorities, the disadvantaged and the elderly."
He added that a formal public announcement of the full extent of the partnership would not be made until one to two weeks after the election.
The event was cancelled at the last minute, perhaps due to the difficulty in securing mass media coverage as a form of free advertising, the day before a presidential election.

Since the wake of September 11th, the company has strongly pushed its product with many results, openly discussing implantation, adding that now people are more open to it.
A week after the tragedy, Digital Angel offered its GPS tracking devices (currently in wristwatch form) to New York City's fire department, as well as to the U.S. Department of
Transportation, saying that they could "aid in continued search-and-rescue efforts."
CEO Sullivan remarked, "With the recent tragedy, it is our duty to expedite the development process and offer Digital Angel in its current beta form to the rescue efforts of all agencies connected with national and personal safety and security," adding that "Digital Angel has many applications that can be used during this national tragedy."

Things have moved on a long way in the past 5 years. Government involvement and interest in the verichip is now widespread. Particular in the verichips home country The USA. Bush aid and former US Secretary of Health Tommy Thompson is a member of Verichip and on the board. The White House are currently in talks with Verichip in regards to implanting US Troops and Immigrant Guest Workers. The US administration is also actively promoting and funding verichip.

This is not a governmental issue unique to the United States.

The Verichip has aroused much interest from governments all around the world. The Attourney General of Mexico has even had his office workers implanted with the verichip. See the Government section of this forum for more information.

Will The USA Implant All Foreigners To Avoid Terrorist Attacks? Could The Verichip Replace Green Cards?

Back in 2001 Palm Beach Post writer Deborah Circelli reported that CEO Sullivan complained that the 9 11 tragedy proved "today’s security measures don’t work very well,” and he has a better idea.

Namely, implant all foreigners passing through customs or immigrations with the chips. The implanted chip would replace green cards, “allowing officials to monitor their activities better and keep terrorists out." In the wake of Sept. 11, he said the government is more prepared, for the overall benefit of our citizens, to advocate some of these changes.

As we see 5 years on, those comments now have a real possibility of become a reality with the recent talks between The White House and Verichip.

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