Why does it matter if a hacker or a criminal gets a 16-digit number?
Criminals or stalkers wouldn’t need access to the VeriChip database of information to track people through their implants. They could simply skim people’s VeriChip ID numbers and create their own database of information about the chipped individuals. “Compromised information security” was one of the risks the FDA identified in relation to the VeriChip. To understand why it’s not a good idea to beam out a unique and persistent ID number, it’s helpful to think of the social security number (SSN). You wouldn’t print your SSN across the front of your T-shirt because you know the number is uniquely linked to you and can be used to access personal information about you. You would not want a VeriChip implant beaming out a unique personal ID number for the same reason. What’s more, if hackers can read the 16-digit number from a person’s implant, they can duplicate it and begin emitting the same number for their own use in a high-tech form of identity theft.
