The Guardian reports that a number of VIP clubbers at a Barcelona nightclub have been implanted with a chip in their upper arm. Steve van Soest, spokesman for the club explains:
One of our owners wanted to do something special for our new VIP section. He’d read about the chip in newspapers, so we started to see if it was possible and legal here in Spain. It was.
Since its launch, 25 people have had the chip injected into their upper arm by a registered doctor at the club, which also plans to use the technology in its sister club in Rotterdam.
Now, however despicable and unacceptable I find compulsory tagging and identification, this is voluntary. These people have chosen to have the chip injected and I see no reason to get excited about that. I will, however, object to the state or other institutions forcing me to do it either by straightforward coercion backed by law or by not giving me a choice.
The problem is likely to be the inevitable function creep. What starts out as a relatively minor convenience for some will be seen as such a great idea that it becomes increasingly adopted to the point where refusal will make access to everyday goods, services and government agencies difficult if not impossible – because you won’t be able to access anything without your chip. Or am I just being pessimistic?
Mark: No, sadly, you are not…