Chip Your Child

[Nikkijah]

After recently reading the thread about children going missing in Issan and other parts of the country, all over the world in fact, I decided to take a look for a service to microchip my son, I'm not sure if it is ethical or if it could save his life in the worst circumstances...

I found a device which was going to be used in Mexico where 133,000 children have been abducted over the last 5 years - a very worrying stat!

What are your general thoughts about this?

Does anybody have any more info as it seems the Mexican 'Verikid' project does not exist any more...

Nikkijah

p.s. below is a link to one of the projects I've found...

http://www.adsx.com./

Edited May 6, 2007 by Nikkijah

[buriramboy]

i'm sure if the Uk government had its way the whole country would be 'chipped' regardless of age, but to answer your question, living here in Thailand with my 3 year old daughter, i would never even consider having her 'chipped'.

BB

[Nikkijah]

i'm sure if the Uk government had its way the whole country would be 'chipped' regardless of age, but to answer your question, living here in Thailand with my 3 year old daughter, i would never even consider having her 'chipped'.

BB

I'm surprised, can I assume that you are a European guy with a Thai wife/partner? and that your child is a 'luk kreung' and that apparently they are very highly valued in the Malaysian market?

If my assumptions are wrong then I'm sorry, I'm just drawing from my own situation and the recent reports of children going missing and either turning up later dead or minus certain organs...

p.s. the way I see it is if my son went missing in a department store I would be beside myself looking for him, wouldn't you?

Edited May 6, 2007 by Nikkijah

[buriramboy]

yes i am a Brit with a Thai wife and a luk krueng. Planting microchips in children however desirable the idea maybe for some parents is totaly unethical in my opinion. Also at what age would the chip be removed, could parents not be tempted to keep the chip in place? Are there any health risks??

As for the safety of my child, apart from when she is at school, she is always either with me or the wife.

[Nikkijah]

It does seem to be a bit unethical but children do disappear in a second, I remember when I was very young and I walked away from my mum in the town centre - in a second - luckily I just stood there and shouted for my mum, she found me very quickly, I don't know if things have changed too much since then but what if I had been taken by somebody, what would my mum do to find me?

There is a story in the UK press at the moment about a 3 year old girl who is missing in Portugal, there is a massive hunt for her and the hope is that she is still alive but if she was chipped she would have been found by now!

[khunandy]

As a father of four daughters I would have gladly had them "chipped" if the service was available. There could have been a clause that they can have it removed at 18 years of age if they wish.

There is nothing more frightening than a missing child

Khun Andy

[Nikkijah]

As a father of four daughters I would have gladly had them "chipped" if the service was available. There could have been a clause that they can have it removed at 18 years of age if they wish.

There is nothing more frightening than a missing child

Khun Andy

Nothing at all Khun Andy, my heart aches thinking about it!

I read a story about a boy who went missing in Greece years ago and until recently his family thought he must have been dead but reports kept coming through that a blond haired blue eyed boy had been seen in Greece - imagine that! Imagine the constant heart-ache, perhaps if they knew what actually happened to him they may have been able to close the episode to a degree

[Phil Conners]

Ethics aside, what would chipping a kid accomplish, perhaps except for kids under 2-3 years of age.

[Nikkijah]

Ethics aside, what would chipping a kid accomplish, perhaps except for kids under 2-3 years of age.

The moment you saw that your child wasn't by your side or as soon as the school called saying they can't find your child(highly possible scenarios) you could turn on the receiver and immediately trace your loved one

It's all well-and-good saying you never let your child out of your sight but these things do happen to people all over the world

It is not only 2-3 year olds who go missing is it?

[buriramboy]

Ethics aside, what would chipping a kid accomplish, perhaps except for kids under 2-3 years of age.

you'd be able to locate them straigt away.

[endure]

Ethics aside, what would chipping a kid accomplish, perhaps except for kids under 2-3 years of age.

you'd be able to locate them straigt away.

How? According to the website the OP posted the chip they use uses RFID which has a range of about 20ft. Their system is for use in hospitals and such where there's an RFID infrastructure in place. It's no use at all elsewhere.

[TerryLH]

"There is a story in the UK press at the moment about a 3 year old girl who is missing in Portugal, there is a massive hunt for her and the hope is that she is still alive but if she was chipped she would have been found by now!"

"The moment you saw that your child wasn't by your side or as soon as the school called saying they can't find your child(highly possible scenarios) you could turn on the receiver and immediately trace your loved one"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's been many years since I worked with these kind of chips. Back then the chip had to be read with a 'wand' from a foot or two.

I find it hard to believe that the technology has progressed far enough for a chip to be used as a locator device. I think if it had, chipping kids would be all the rage. Matter of fact, it would be widely used for tracking domestic animals. Right now they are only used to locate owners after the abimal has been captured, or found dead or injured. (The tracking devices seen on the nature shows are not chips.)

Anybody see Bourne Identity?

Having said that, I thought about chipping my daughter when she was born, even with the limitations on the chips.

Terry

Edited May 6, 2007 by TerryLH

[endure]

Moved to General at OP's request.

[Nikkijah]

Ethics aside, what would chipping a kid accomplish, perhaps except for kids under 2-3 years of age.

you'd be able to locate them straigt away.

How? According to the website the OP posted the chip they use uses RFID which has a range of about 20ft. Their system is for use in hospitals and such where there's an RFID infrastructure in place. It's no use at all elsewhere.

I read that bit after I'd included the link, I was just giving an example

There was a project in Mexico to use tracer chips as the missing children rates are shocking there - 133,000 in 5 years, that's over 500 children a week!

Here's the original story about Verikid in Mexico Verikid

Edited May 6, 2007 by Nikkijah

[endure]

As I don't have children I'm not really qualified to get too involved in this but I find the idea of tagging kids ever so slightly creepy and 1984ish.

[lannarebirth]

I don't believe these implantable chips can be used for GPS locating. That said, I was looking for something last year that would aid in finding my girlfriends mother, who has Alzheimers, should she slip the network of aide, maid, securty guard, motorcycle taxi guys we set up. I found a couple of devices that would work. One is a wristwatch and the other has a GPS transceiver in a shoe. Both devices require a monthly subscription to a monitoring service. The articles I read pertained to America. I do not know if that technology/monitoring service is available here.

You can peruse the concept here:

http://www.google.co.th/search?hl=en&q...cater&meta=

Edited May 6, 2007 by lannarebirth

[Nikkijah]

As I don't have children I'm not really qualified to get too involved in this but I find the idea of tagging kids ever so slightly creepy and 1984ish.

True endure, but this is a cruel world isn't it and as one poster said, the child could have the option of removing the chip at a responsible age

[Daffy D]

This is obviously a controversial subject. Personally I would definitely “chip” my child.

We have a very cute Farang/Thai 3year old girl. OK every Farang/Thai child is cute, all the more desirable, tourists take photos of her everybody lovers her. What if one day she just disappeared!

What would we do???????

What could we do????????

Maybe the “chip” thing would not work so well I LOS, read the story of Bangkok Post reporter who had his laptop stolen and was trying some new tracking system that when the thieves logged onto the internet it could be traced. He had a real problem getting the local fuzz to take action. But that is another story.

Can any parent live with the thought of what is happening to their child without doing SOMETHING?

If your child disappeared what would you do? Would you then say I wish I had this or done that?

Whatever your convictions about invasion of privacy I’m sure your child would forgive you if you found her/him before he/she was lost in the seedy underworld for all eternity.

D.D.

[a2396]

I don't have a child, but it sounds like a good idea for my various "slippery" girlfriends. Then I will know when they are at thier other BF's apartment.

[Maestro]

This information is credible:

each VeriChip product contains a unique verification number that is captured by briefly passing a proprietary scanner over the VeriChip.

However, it does not help you to trace your child after it has been kidnapped or even if the child gets lost in a department store.

If a an elaborate system or network is set up, the chip can help law enforcement agencies to identify the child after it has been found. In other words, the chip cannot do what the OP thought it could do. It cannot help a parent or the police find a kidnapped child.

Another example is that after the tsunami, the chip could have helped to identify the dead.

--

Maestro

[englishoak]

Obvious it's a touchy subject and It seems an innocent and sensible precaution to consider. It also touches on a nerve of every parent and paranoia is easily fostered.

It's also a road we absolutely should not go down IMO.

So it would give parents piece of mind, etc. Anyone here thought about that little thing called freedom or human rights?

Once you chip someone thats it, a tracking device 24/7. Now as innocent as that seems on a kid. When does it stop? What about being a teenager ?. Do you wish your parents had known where you were at all times? and after that ? How about your partner ? trust issue ?? simple get them chipped, who needs to hire a PI?.

How about employees ?? make sure they are where they should be etc etc, chip them. How about using the tracking information ? do you like the idea of someone knowing where you are at all times ??? Do you realy think it will remain a tool for keeping your kids safe ?? Once it goes global anyone will be able to track anyone and after that it's game over.

Within a generation or two we would indeed have a 1984 scenario. And no I don't think it's worth it, sorry. And yes I am a parent and do all I can to keep her safe. It does not include a 24/7 tracker and before anyone flames me I love my daughter more than my own life but I also accept that life is a risk and some things are not worth the final price.

I understand the concerns of the OP but this world is not perfect ( never has been ) and a simple seeming answer is far more dangerous than the original innocent idea of protecting children.

[uptou]

what if a child is chipped by over controlling,or abusive parents,& also what kind of veiw of the world could the child develop by being "chipped",(assuming the child knows)could it lead to the child rebelling or behaviour problems,not to mention paronoia?

Edited May 6, 2007 by uptou

[Nikkijah]

Obvious it's a touchy subject and It seems an innocent and sensible precaution to consider. It also touches on a nerve of every parent and paranoia is easily fostered.

It's also a road we absolutely should not go down IMO.

So it would give parents piece of mind, etc. Anyone here thought about that little thing called freedom or human rights?

Once you chip someone thats it, a tracking device 24/7. Now as innocent as that seems on a kid. When does it stop? What about being a teenager ?. Do you wish your parents had known where you were at all times? and after that ? How about your partner ? trust issue ?? simple get them chipped, who needs to hire a PI?.

How about employees ?? make sure they are where they should be etc etc, chip them. How about using the tracking information ? do you like the idea of someone knowing where you are at all times ??? Do you realy think it will remain a tool for keeping your kids safe ?? Once it goes global anyone will be able to track anyone and after that it's game over.

Within a generation or two we would indeed have a 1984 scenario. And no I don't think it's worth it, sorry. And yes I am a parent and do all I can to keep her safe. It does not include a 24/7 tracker and before anyone flames me I love my daughter more than my own life but I also accept that life is a risk and some things are not worth the final price.

I understand the concerns of the OP but this world is not perfect ( never has been ) and a simple seeming answer is far more dangerous than the original innocent idea of protecting children.

Strong views englishoak, and I respect them, however, I am not paranoid about the situation you are foreseeing, the technology is already here, the tracking of people has been around for a while, child safety is changing and we must do all we can to stop the 'wrong-uns' in this world from hurting our children. at whatever cost.

[Glauka]

well i have not children yet but i agree with englishoak...to chip your child...well...I don´t want to live in constant fear all my life...worrying about my children, my husband, my dog, my house , my car...

When I was a child this kind of news about children being kidnapped or murder were not so common that´s why my mother never was too paranoic about us...

actually I think she was very happy when we were out of her sight for 2 or 3 hours, playing outside ....

I think we are overprotecting our children, house, car...

This is my opinion but as i said i have not children yet...

Edited May 6, 2007 by Glauka

[Nikkijah]

I can understand how some people think that we may be overprotecting our children but how would you feel if your child(if you had one) went missing? I wonder how many parents who have lost their children to kidnappers etc would say they wished they'd had some way to track their children?

[Loz]

If a child has a mobile phone is there not a way of triangulating their position as long as the phone is on and in range with a signal?

give the size of mobiles how hard would it be to make mini device with the critical components that could be concealed in a show or whatever? Ps. if you chip your kids, professionals will get scanners and check the kids and cut out any chips. How clever will you feel when your kid is scarred for life from some clumsy kidnapper? THATS IF you get them back...

[November Rain]

No way. I love my son more than anything, but he's not a dog! Very fallible. Depends on someone assuming your child is not where he should be. Otherwise why would they check the chip? That means he has to be found/located before they can check the chip. Surely if someone is that suspicious, they can phone you to ID your child? Completely wrong & not of much use above infancy (where child cannot communicate) IMO. We should pay more attention to preventing our children going missing rather than chipping them. Safety starts with basic education given to everyone who has custody of our children for any time at all (schools/relatives/friends/domestic helpers etc)

[Nikkijah]

We should pay more attention to preventing our children going missing rather than chipping them. Safety starts with basic education given to everyone who has custody of our children for any time at all (schools/relatives/friends/domestic helpers etc)

Good point November Rain, not sure about the reference to my child being a dog though anyhow, education is the beginning of everything but unfortunately we cannot control the education of the sickos who roam the streets/stores/schools

Referring to the recent disappearance of the 3 y/o in Portugal, it is easy to say that the parents should have been more responsible but we have to admit that we are unable to watch our children 24 hours a day(some may argue otherwise) and it must be fair to say that at one point in time we will not trust someone who is taking care of our children, perhaps you have just enrolled your child into a nursery with a very good reputation but you dislike or distrust one of the assistants or whatever, you get my point...

I would love to live in a world where children were not at risk but the reality is that they are and we have to take reasonable measures to stop them coming into harms way.

I have only one son and I am unable to have more, if anything ever happened to my only son I would never be able to forgive myself for not taking EVERY precaution available to me in order to protect him.

Edited May 6, 2007 by Nikkijah

[AmeriThai]

I find it hard to imagine any tracking chips that could be implanted under the skin. Even if it could be done, what kind of range would it have? ID chips can be implanted, but tracking chips? To do that, it would have to have to be able to have a transmitter and a power supply. Too bulky for implanting under the skin like ID chips.

External tracking chips (installed in a watch or shoe as suggested) might be helpful for a child who has wandered off, but I'm not sure how much help it would be for a child that's been kidnapped. All a kidnapper would need to do is get rid of the watch or shoes. Speed would be absolutely essential to quickly locate the tracking device before there's there's an opportunity to get rid of it.

[Nikkijah]

Absolutely heart-wrenching

parents of abducted girl in Portugal from the BBC website