GPS implants or RFID
May 29, 2007 by MCA
In a repeat this past weekend of a Nancy Grace show which aired earlier in the week there was this exchange between Nancy Grace and one of her callers. Many have probably asked the same question with the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, Trenton Duckett and others. It should be worthy of more detailed discussion.
CALLER: I just want to know, in this age of technology, why can`t a child be implanted with a GPS tracking device, like they do with dogs, but more GPS, where the minute that kid goes missing, the FBI can track this child?
GRACE: Hey, you know what? That is not a farfetched idea. In fact, Paulette in New York, in large amusement parks, such as Disneyland, Disneyworld, they very frequently give little GPS trackers to families that come in, and they stick them on their kid, in their backpack and their pocket, and they are tracked. It`s not farfetched. And you know what? I don`t know why.
Some basis issues to consider:
- Radio-frequency identification (RFID) vs. Global Positioning Systems (GPS)
- GPS coverage issues (signal availability)
- Civil rights of the individual being implanted
- FDA approval is an implant it safe? (long term side affects)
- Legal liabilities if technology fails
- Costs to implant and to monitor (initial cost and mothly fees and or fees to find the child)
- Cost vs risk of child being abducted?
- Related Post: Lojack your kids?
When it comes to gps technology I am totally for a child to have a watch or something that they can carry on them. It’s when the government goes to far with the idea that they make everyone have one. Pretty soon your government is telling you who to be where to go and all the Vendeta that comes with that kind of power. As long as the idea is controlled with certain scenarios its a good thought.
I am a father of a 8 month old daughter. I had her a little later in my life. This has helped me avoid the pitfalls of many younger dads. Waiting a few years longer has given me a wealth of ‘life experience’, as well as patience. Most important, though, is wisdom. I would love to get a GPS implant for my daughter for her own saftey. Those that worry about the government need only look at the alarming rate of child abductions every year to realize that such a threat is far more serious and imediate that the government tracking my childs eating, sleeping and playing habits. Atleast I’ll be comforted to know that my daughter is here. God forbid that she ever goes missing, I’d be wishing the government was tracking her!
Stop it with the government nonsense.. this is for the well-being of a child. the key is not to monitor the child, but to have the ability to locate. this is done by FBI and local LEO and is not used by some overbearing parent. watches and phones are disposable thus no use. If I can look this up ,you can bet that a child abductor has done the same
Cost. this is the difficult part. who pays? the implant cost will come from the parent, but, it has to be affordable,50-100 dollars I would pay. the monitoring / tracking will be picked up by the government and local state. the man hours that go into the trying to locate a missing child are great, not to mention the volunteers.
when to remove, or not this is simple. when the child turns 18 it is their choice and they can pay for the removal. welcome to adulthood
I dont want the home computer screen to have my kids daily route on it. I just want the police to drive straight to them if they were to go missing.
I live in a society were personal security is an everyday issue. Densell Washingtons’s “Man on Fire” is not far from reality. I would LOVE to have GPS implants for all of my family. Forget the govrnment spying on you. They pretty much know all they want to know about law abiding people anyway. Only criminals live is obscurity.
COST: Considering the security benefits VS money. Who wants to put a price on finding an abducted kid? It could be pretty expensive and be worth every dime.