As Kidnappings Increase, Mexicans Get Dubious RFID Tracking Chips Implanted In Their Arms - Polidicks

[QUOTE]Following the violent kidnapping of former Mexican presidential candidate Diego Fernandez de Cevallos last year, some Mexicans are now having themselves implanted with RFID tracking chips similar to the one that was supposedly cut from Fernandez’s arm by his abductors, the Washington Post reports. Companies selling these chips to scared citizens are promising that they will help rescuers track them down in the event of a kidnapping. The chip, implanted in the tissue between the shoulder and elbow, sends a signal to an GPS device that the wearer carries. But Xega, the company that manufactures many of the chips, says that they can track clients even without the GPS unit, by sending radio signals directly to the implanted chip. This claim seems very unlikely to be true. RFID researchers say that Xega’s claim that it can still find clients even if their external GPS unit has been lost is ludicrous. The technology that would allow remote tracking of RFID signals is still far off, they say. Although Xega says they have helped to rescue 178 people in the past ten years, an executive acknowledged that the implant would likely not work without the external GPS. Mexicans have good reason to be frightened, with abductions having jumped 317 percent in the past five years. One fifth of instances have involved police officers or soldiers, which leads to a mistrust of authority figures. Xega has seen its sales increase by 40 percent in the past two years. Other companies are selling external GPS trackers equipped with panic buttons, disguised as keychains, watches, or bracelets in the hopes of fooling kidnappers. This approach at least is not technologically impossible, although emitting a regular distress signal could quickly drain the battery of such a device. [img]http://www.popsci.com/files/imagecache/article_image_large/articles/800px-RFID-capsule.jpg[/img][/QUOTE] Source: [url]http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-08/mexicans-afraid-kidnapping-get-dubious-rfid-chips-implanted-their-arms[/url]

I think a better investment is to move to Cana-. I mean America. [editline]23rd August 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=RichyZ;31892280]highlight this, it's for people who are scared, which makes sense because mexico is in no way a safe place as of now[/QUOTE] Driving armored cars isn't normal. But in Mexico City it is.

[QUOTE=RichyZ;31892280]highlight this, it's for people who are scared, which makes sense because mexico is in no way a safe place as of now[/QUOTE] As of now? When has Mexico ever been a safe place?

[QUOTE=LoLWaT?;31892820]Would Cancun in Mexico be considered a safe place from kidnappings and the like? [img]http://i.somethingawful.com/forumsystem/emoticons/emot-ohdear.png[/img][/QUOTE] Safer, but safety in numbers and I wouldn't go walking alone or even in a small group down an unpopulated street at night. Stay on the crowded streets if safety is your primary concern. It is supposedly safer than the rest of Mexico, but the kidnapping and violent assault rates are still exponentially higher than anything in the US or other first world nations' tourist towns.

Once they implement this I can see them tracking these chips to the middle of the desert where all they find is a severed arm in a plastic bag.

[QUOTE=RR_Raptor65;31892838]As of now? When has Mexico ever been a safe place?[/QUOTE] 1 000 000 BC

Actually a cool idea, so long as its not abused.

I can see the kidnappers simply cutting everyone's arms open now as a response.

Kidnappers can just get rid of the external GPS and render them next to useless. Much cleaner than hacking off limbs I would imagine.

Or rub a magnet on their arm.

nothing a strong magnet won't fix

666 mark of the beast!!

Wouldn't the body throw it back?

In other news, deal extreme receives a large amount of orders for GPS jammers from mexico. [url]http://www.dealextreme.com/p/q30-mini-portable-cell-phone-signal-jammer-gps-l1-l2-wifi-47680[/url] And they're cheap too!

[QUOTE=RR_Raptor65;31892838]As of now? When has Mexico ever been a safe place?[/QUOTE] When I was a kid, Mexico was a safe place to go to. It was really fun to take trips down there. Unfortunately I won't be doing that anytime soon due to its current state. I really wish it would change but at the moment it doesn't seem to be heading in that direction.

[QUOTE=Zero-Point;31892910]Once they implement this I can see them tracking these chips to the middle of the desert where all they find is a severed arm in a plastic bag.[/QUOTE] and then when they open the bag it explodes

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