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February 15, 2007
RFID Journal Calls VeriChip Implant "unnecessary and a little creepy"
The RFID brethren have kicked into self preservation mode because VeriChip Corporation's embarassing IPO launch is making them look bad. Shares of the human ID implant company began trading as "CHIP" on the NASDAQ last Friday at the low end of the expected range and went downhill from there as investors examined the company's tenuous business model.
RFID Journal is doing its best to distance the RFID industry from the stock fiasco, even calling VeriChip's human implant "unnecessary and a little creepy."
In his commentary titled "VeriChip IPO Focuses Attention on Human Implants," RFID Journal Editor Mark Roberti distinguishes "mainstream" RFID companies from the tainted human chipper by drawing the line where RFID devices are inserted into flesh. He doesn't take VeriChip to task for identifying and monitoring people through RFID. Rather, he objects to the visceral nature of the implanted product and the waves of squeamishness it evokes.
"[N]ot everyone likes the idea of getting implanted. It's the stuff of TV dramas, and it scares people, " says Roberti. "My view is that a pendant with an RFID transponder in it could work just as well."
Once he makes the distinction (RFID neckware is cool, implanted chips aren't), Roberti laments, "VeriChip's initial public offering... has had a chilling effect on some people's attitude toward RFID."
He goes on to criticize the media for recent negative press that reflects badly on the spychip industry overall. Headlines like "Implantable RFID May Be Easy, But That Doesn't Mean It's Ethical," "'Spychip' Corporation Hides Implant Risks in Stock Offering," and "RFID Chips Getting Under Few People's Skin" obviously haven't been sitting well with the Journal's advertisers.
"I don't know if VeriChip is a good or a bad investment. I don't know if getting a chip under your skin is a good or bad idea," Roberti expounds, wagging his pen in defense of his corporate sponsors. "But I do know that the undue media attention focused on this one company offering a niche application of RFID is having a negative impact on the public perception of RFID. That's unfortunate, because so few people, so far, have chosen to 'get chipped.'"
For more of Roberti's take on this IPO injustice, see:
http://www.rfidjournal.com/privacy/entry/3045
- Liz McIntyre
Posted by liz at February 15, 2007 11:45 PM
Comments
Here is Wal-Mart's sneaky, tiny disclaimer.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/catalog.gsp?cat=538445
Boycott 'til they go bankrupt!
Posted by: DLS at April 24, 2007 11:09 AM