Honey, I LoJacked the Kids
A firm in Mexico is touting RFID implants for children as a safety measure, part of a program called "VeriKid." Mexican child advocacy groups are down with it; folks who've seen Demolition Man are vaguely creeped out.
Editor's Note: As of February 29, 2024, commenting privileges on reason.com posts are limited to Reason Plus subscribers. Past commenters are grandfathered in for a temporary period. Subscribe here to preserve your ability to comment. Your Reason Plus subscription also gives you an ad-free version of reason.com, along with full access to the digital edition and archives of Reason magazine. We request that comments be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment and ban commenters for any reason at any time. Comments may only be edited within 5 minutes of posting. Report abuses.
Please
to post comments
Same old, same old. This technology is not only immediately beneficial, but it isn’t even very difficult to figure out several non-terrifying ways to implement it. Of course, it is almost always the terrifying applications that are chosen.
next thing you know, they’ll be doing this for kittens!
Only perverts, child moelesters and… terrorists… YES TERRORISTS would oppose these measures to protect the children.
It’s a lot more common in Mexico for the super rich to have their children kidnapped than in the States.
I here that their style is more gruesome too, sending the ransome note with at least a hand or an ear.
Admitted the implants are alarming trend though.
I worked with a Latin American client at one time. He was Colombian, and had moved to the U.S. when he was 7. His parents had moved here, and the rest of his family as well, because there was too much risk of kidnapping if they had stayed in Colombia, though that’s where the family business interests were.
I remember when I was in grade school being fingerprinted (with the rest of my classmates) because there was a lot of commotion about kidnapping at the time (early 80’s). I’d say this is something beneficial if it were voluntary, and under some sort of control of the parents and/or kids.
That’s what people must resort to when law enforcement is too busy with other, more profitable endeavours.
What’s more important – drug dealers or kidnappers?
of course, walmart is looking into the RFID for their merch. to help with inventory management. walmart = sells cheap goods. children = inferior goods. wow. actual real life retail meets economics.
somehow this all makes sense…
drf
I’ve never seen demolition man and this creeps me out.
Mark, does this mean you *DON’T* know how to use the seashells???? gasp.
(several whispers in the background…
“he doesn’t know”
“my gosh! he doesn’t know”)
🙂
drf
Enhance your calm, Julian Sanchez.
“folks who’ve seen Demolition Man are vaguely creeped out.”
I’ve been creeped out about that movie since I can’t figure out what the hell those seashells are supposed to be for!
This is some messed up shit. Especially if the kid doesn’t have a say. But hell, even if the kid did have a say, it would be inflicted against ’em.
“You don’t want the implant? No Car, No tv, no computer, no pasta. You get bread + water.”
If they put chips in every Mexican we could use them track down illigal immigrantts.
Give it time, it’ll catch on in the US. Some legislator will claim it prevents victimization or is for the “child’s safety” or to prevent drinking or curfew violation-something asinine.
do the chips come with free salsa?
Folks who’ve seen Demolition Man were also creeped out by Schwarzenegger’s election last week. A little prophetic, isn’t it?
What’s more important – drug dealers or kidnappers?
This is Mexico we’re talking about. The drug dealers ARE the law enforcement officials.
The good news is that instead of removing and sending a more useful body part, the kidnappers can prove their point by mailing the parents the chip.
EMAIL: master-x@canada.com
IP: 82.146.43.155
URL: http://www.penis-pill-enlargement.com
DATE: 02/28/2004 10:38:05
Buildings burn. People die. But real love is forever.