I had my cat “tagged,” and while Friday has never run off, or got lost, if he did, I would know that the first vet or humane society that crossed his path could find out in minutes who his owner is, and start the process of returning him to his home.
In this case, the technology works to insure that the adverse results of any escapade will be minimized, through the use of that chip.
If I were certain that the operators of the technology who wish to "tag" me, intend to employ it as benevolently as I intend to employ Friday’s identification chip, and alway will, I should be quite happy to submit to "tagging."
Unhappily, I am unable at present to place that much confidence in any, let alone all, of the possible employers of that technology.
A quick gaze into the future makes that confidence seem even less likely.
I have no doubt that the VeriChip could be a useful tool in identifying people at critical times. It could benevolently link them to their histories.
It could also be used as a weapon against the "tagged" person, in all the ways beloved by dystopian science fiction writers, and meaner ways as yet undreamt of.
Call me a cynic, but my bet is that if employed, it will be used as a weapon, much more than a protective device.
