> Mon, May 13 2002 7:13 PM AEST

> # People queue up for computer chip implants

> Enough VeriChips to contain medical information for 70 people |

> Eight people will become the first ever to receive computer chip implants, allowing them to be identified by a scanner.
> The "chipping" ceremony will be held in the US State of Florida and is being performed by Applied Digital Solutions, a Florida technology company.
> The chips, called VeriChip, are rice-grain-sized devices that sit under the skin.
> When scanned by a special reader, the chip emits a radio signal that will transmit a code, which is linked to a secured database.
> The database, dubbed the Global VeriChip Subscriber (GVS) Registry, holds personal data such as the "chipees" address, phone number and any special medical conditions.
> The first eight chipped users will include an Alzheimer's patient, someone with an array of allergies and a man suffering from Hodgkin's disease.
> The company says it is in the process of selling chip readers to local hospitals and emergency care facilities, adding the market for such identification devices will top $US15 billion.
> Applied Digital says it will field a mobile "chipmobile" to bring the technology to a waiting list of 5,000 people.
> A chip implant costs $US200, plus a $US10 monthly fee to be in the database.
> The chip is implanted during a simple outpatient procedure in a doctor's office.
> The company says it is perfecting a larger, more futuristic unit that will have the ability to detect the users location using global positioning satellites.
> The company said the chips will have "a variety of security, emergency and healthcare applications".
> The technology has already gained the attention of privacy advocates, which fear a proliferation of electronic tagging devices for the population.