Unveiled on Monday October 30 in New York City, this versatile transceiver can send and receive data and is promoted as the first-ever operational combination of sensor technology and Web-enabled wireless telecom- munications linked to Global Positioning System (GPS) location-tracking systems.

Digital Angel is a tiny trackable microchip developed by Applied Digital Solutions (ADS) designed to be worn close to the body or implanted. Smaller than a dime, it operates by way of an antenna that will receive signals from GPS satellites, enabling the geographic location of the chip to be determined.

The antenna also communicates with Internet-integrated ground stations by receiving commands and sending biological information and location data to those sites. The data can then be made available on Web-accessible computers or wireless devices.

The chip will be powered by a self-rechargeable micro battery which will draw energy from the body or from the surroundings. It will only be activated by the wearer-- or in the "fine print"-- by commands from the monitoring facility. When implanted in the body, the device is powered electro-magnetically through the movement of muscles. Vital health information can also be recorded and stored, such as blood pressure, pulse and body temperature.

On Monday August 14, 2000 WorldNetDaily ran a preliminary story which included this quote from Dr. Peter Zhou, president and chief scientist at DigitalAngel.net, Inc. "Digital Angel will be a connection from yourself to the electronic world. It will be your guardian, protector. It will bring good things to you." He added ominously, "We will be a hybrid of electronic intelligence and our own soul." Now that's a comforting thought... kind of like an opportunity for electronic demon possession.

As previously reported in WorldNetDaily on Monday March 20, ADS Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Richard Sullivan states, "We believe its potential for improving individual and e-business security and enhancing the quality of life for millions of people is virtually limitless... we plan to focus our initial development efforts on the growing field of e-commerce security and user ID verification." Profits are projected to be upwards of $100 billion. 

$100 billion?? It will require a great deal of "life-enhancing" and "security-improving" to produce that kind of money. According to ADS, the potential uses are many: 

• Medical- Doctors can monitor patients remotely to analyze and detect health problems- possibly before the patient notices symptoms.

• Food Safety- Digital Angel can be implanted on livestock, allowing them to be monitored through their lifecycles, ensuring higher standards of consumer safety.

• Security- Already used to track lost pets, the same technology could be used as a rescue beacon to track lost or kidnapped children and adults

• Warfare- Locating missing soldiers and determining their condition would be invaluable.

• Law Enforcement- Tracking parolees, criminals 

• Tracking- Protecting and tracing valuable items of personal property

• Identification- No more ID cards to lose; imagine your computer, car or rifle not working unless it detected you as the operator

It is indeed a veritable smorgasbord of digital technology opportunities. But there is a remote possibility that John Doe won't be easily convinced that it is a good thing for the government to have full-time knowledge of not only his financial transactions and whereabouts, but also his very heartbeat. How will Digital Angel generate billions of dollars in a voluntary system such as this? 

Discerning the Times believes that eventually this tracking system will be mandatory for every person in the world. One avenue might be to require all babies born in hospitals to be implanted with the devices before being released. Another possibility is implantation during a worldwide-mandated vaccination program, perhaps against some of the viruses currently making headlines. Dr. Zhou predicts that all military personnel may be required to wear the device so that their "whereabouts and health conditions can be accessed at all times."

Citizens throughout the world have been slowly but surely desensitized in this area for many years now. Fingerprinting, supermarket scanners, birth control implants, cashless banking, gas station speed passes, and turnpike "transpasses" have virtually guaranteed that the next step will be a breeze. People are already clamoring to find out where to "sign up" for this magical injection that will forever change their lives. Perhaps more than they bargained for. 

Privacy advocates are shaking in their shoes, and with good reason. Although it is promoted as a cure-all, what is the driving force behind this revolutionary new technology, and who will really benefit from it? Is it going to be a virtual shield around the wearer, protecting him from the perils of life, or will it, in fact, be leading its victims blindly toward a worse fate? Let's add it up and see what the score is: Implantable technology + buying and selling + identification + every human... it sounds vaguely familiar.