E-commerce Times Tangled Up in Wireless E-Commerce
"The marketing ploy for those new wireless tracking devices we've heard so much about might go something like this:

"Say, Mr. Consumer, let's say you're walking down the street in a strange part of the city and you happen to pass by Ray's Pizzeria, one of many such fine eating establishments in the world. Your head is lost in a swirl of ledger sheets and profit margins -- fine businessman that you are, Mr. Consumer -- and of course you don't notice what a great opportunity you're passing by."

"But your phone does! It starts to beep and ring, and produces a 50 percent off coupon for a large pizza, heavy on the cheese, light on the anchovies and garlic because -- wink wink -- your phone also knows you're scheduled for a big date later on down at the Happy Valley bar and grill. For which, by the way, we have directions, in case you need them.

"How would you like that, Mr. Consumer?""

"If wireless is the ongoing revolution, then wireless tracking is the next-next thing. Technically, it's called location tracking, and the technology can be built into almost anything. That's the good news and the bad news."

MSNBC The digital guardian angel
"Imagine walking by a Starbucks in an unfamiliar city. Your cell phone rings, and a coupon for coffee pops up on its screen, good only at that location.

HOW DID YOUR PHONE know you were even near that particular Starbucks? What else does it know about you? Enter location tracking, coming to a mobile device near you. Features that one day can pinpoint your whereabouts to within the length of a football field raise enormous privacy concerns, but they also offer enormous benefits.

The challenge will be determining where to draw the line.

Consider a technology unveiled Monday. Called Digital Angel, a microchip worn close to the body promises to record a person’s biological parameters and send distress signals during medical emergencies.

But misused, these types of capabilities could amount to virtual stalking."

The Register Human chip implants not going skin deep
"Applied Digital Solutions, the US outfit behind a chip which can be stuck inside a human body, will unveil its device in the Big Apple next week.

The Digital Angel demonstration will show "the first-ever working prototype that combines bio-sensors and Web-enabled wireless telecommunications linked to Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite technology", according to the company blurb on the invite."

"[Digital Angel CTO Keith] Bolton said the chip would not, after all, be placed under the skin. Although this was part of the original patent, ADS abandoned the idea after it found it would probably take years to get approval for the idea from the Federal Drug Administration (FDA).

redux [09.07.00]
Salon Put that silicon where the sun don't shine
"Worry no more, doting parents! Whether it's your little pumpkin's first day walking home from school by herself or the millionth time you've lost her at the mall, the BabysitterTM will track your sweetpea's location from a jelly bean-sized microchip implant, discretely tucked under her collarbone. You'll be able to chart her every move. What better way to give her independence, and put your mind at ease?

Also available: The Constant CompanionTM lets you keep a watchful eye on grandma or grandpa, even when you can't be by their side; The Invisible BodyguardTM offers freedom from fear so you can enjoy the fauna and foliage when eco-tourism takes you to kidnapping hot spots around the globe. Coming soon: The INS Border PatrollerTM; the Maximum Security GuardTM; the Personal Private EyeTM; the Micro-ManagerTM."

redux [09.03.00]
SiliconValley.Com: Dan Gillmor Electronic leash would undermine our values
"WHAT can grease the slippery slope toward tyranny, and erode trust within families? Sometimes, it's as simple as parents' love for their children.

A colleague and friend says he'd gladly implant a location-tracking chip in his newborn daughter, to protect her from kidnapping and other threats. He says he wouldn't misuse such surveillance power. I'm sure he means it. I'm sure other parents would say, and believe, the same things.

This location-tracking product does not exist -- yet. Such is the race of technology, however, that it undoubtedly will exist soon enough. By then, I hope my colleague and others in his situation think hard about the consequences if they get what they want."