Before I start, I will preface this thread as being one for discussion by those who wish to have a conversation on this technology and is not meant to be purely matter of fact.
Anyhow, this subject came to mind to me tonight while I was taking a drive. Many places around the country have RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) devices that are issued to motorists so that they can be auto billed to a credit card when using toll roads, like Sunpass in Florida. There are also states starting to use RFID chips in driver's licenses as well. However, what I found a little disturbing was the RFID readers lining a local roadway every mile or so. This was NOT a toll road either, so why would the government have installed these devices that could be used to passively track people? The interesting thing about RFID is that the ID chip does not have a connection to a power source until it comes in contact with radio frequency which then acts as the power source. So, theoretically, a driver's license with one of these chips embedded in it could be used to track people as well-even if they did not have the toll pass.
OK, so that is all well and good for tracking a car or a driver's license, but you still have the ability to opt out by not using the pass or having a license right? Yes. That is true. However, these chips are now being implanted into animals and people to track them as well. A company called "Digital Angel" implants these chips into elderly patients who have Alzheimer's disease or Dementia as a way of locating them should they become lost. So, it is possible to use this technology in humans as well. Will it ever go any further? I don't know. What I just posted are the facts I know as of now. Now comes the fun part as we can discuss the possible future implementation of this technology when it comes to a possible move to a cashless society (it IS coming.). Also, think of the other reasons it could be pushed on us. Terrorism, identity theft, etc.
Anyhow, discuss.
Anyhow, this subject came to mind to me tonight while I was taking a drive. Many places around the country have RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) devices that are issued to motorists so that they can be auto billed to a credit card when using toll roads, like Sunpass in Florida. There are also states starting to use RFID chips in driver's licenses as well. However, what I found a little disturbing was the RFID readers lining a local roadway every mile or so. This was NOT a toll road either, so why would the government have installed these devices that could be used to passively track people? The interesting thing about RFID is that the ID chip does not have a connection to a power source until it comes in contact with radio frequency which then acts as the power source. So, theoretically, a driver's license with one of these chips embedded in it could be used to track people as well-even if they did not have the toll pass.
OK, so that is all well and good for tracking a car or a driver's license, but you still have the ability to opt out by not using the pass or having a license right? Yes. That is true. However, these chips are now being implanted into animals and people to track them as well. A company called "Digital Angel" implants these chips into elderly patients who have Alzheimer's disease or Dementia as a way of locating them should they become lost. So, it is possible to use this technology in humans as well. Will it ever go any further? I don't know. What I just posted are the facts I know as of now. Now comes the fun part as we can discuss the possible future implementation of this technology when it comes to a possible move to a cashless society (it IS coming.). Also, think of the other reasons it could be pushed on us. Terrorism, identity theft, etc.
Anyhow, discuss.
