RFID implants solve kidnappings

Due to an increase in the number of kidnappings, thousands of Mexicans are considering the option of under-the-skin tracking products such as satellite and radio frequency identification (RFID) chip implants, reports RFID News.

According to recent reports in the Washington Post, Mexican kidnappings have jumped 317% in the past five years.

More alarming is the finding that police officers or soldiers were involved in more than one-fifth of the crimes, contributing to widespread perceptions that authorities can't be trusted to solve crimes.

Xega, a Mexican company that sells RFID chips and performs the implants, says its sales have increased 40% in the past two years, states The Seattle Times.

For $2 000 upfront and annual fees of $2 000, the company inserts a tiny RFID antenna in the fatty tissue of the arm between the shoulder and the elbow.

The chip relays a signal to an external GPS unit the size of a cellphone, but if the owner is stripped of the GPS device in the event of abduction, Xega says it can still track down its clients by sending radio signals to the implant. It says it has helped rescue 178 clients in the past decade.

Gizmodo criticises the technology, saying the implants are too small for satellites to pick up and barriers such as metal, concrete and water makes it difficult for the implants to broadcast a signal.