-Caveat Lector- http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,56464,00.html
The British government acknowledged Monday that it would consider using implanted ID chips to track sex offenders, raising the specter of forced chipping. The news was first reported on Sunday by the The Observer. The paper reprinted portions of a letter from Hilary Benn, the minister responsible for supervising sex offender programs, to Labour MP Andrew Mackinlay. Benn's letter said the British government was interested in the future potential of implants to track offenders' movements by satellite and measure their heart rate and blood pressure "to predict criminal activity." Home Office spokesman Matt Brook on Monday confirmed both the existence of the letter as well as its content. "Yes, we're looking at tagging as an option," said Brook. "All the letter is saying is that something like that would be worthy of consideration. Anything that will help us stop these people from re-offending would be welcome." While not yet a reality, implants that can remotely check bodily functions and location are just around the corner: Microchips are being developed for a variety of health functions, and a Florida company is planning to develop a prototype of an implanted GPS device by the end of the year. When the Food and Drug Administration green-lighted the use of ID chips in humans last month, civil liberties advocates worried that people could be forced to get chipped as a condition of employment or parole. News that the British government may implant sex offenders in the future fanned those fears. "At a certain point you cross the line from privacy concern to human rights violation, and I think we're entering that territory," said Marc Rotenberg, director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center. Even a nonprofit organization created to help victims of sexual assault expressed ambivalence about the use of the technology. "Is monitoring appropriate? Certainly. But I don't know that this level of monitoring is appropriate," said Jamie Zuieback, spokeswoman for the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. "There are questions of fairness and there are questions of efficacy that need to be answered." Home Office spokesman Brook said any plans to chip offenders would have to pass muster with the British Parliament. The debate, he said, is far from over. "Clearly a careful balance has to be struck between protecting the community and ensuring that sex offenders don't re-offend," said Brook. "It's a very difficult area." <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
