[continued from previous message] 
  
 The case for: 'We track cars, so why not people?' 
  
 The Government is struggling to keep track of thousands of offenders in 
 the community and is troubled by an overcrowded prison system close to 
 bursting. Internal tagging offers a solution that could impose curfews 
 more effectively than at present, and extend the system by keeping sex 
 offenders out of "forbidden areas". "If we are prepared to track cars, 
 why don't we track people?" said Ken Jones, president of the Association 
 of Chief Police Officers (Acpo). 
  
 Officials argue that the internal tags enable the authorities to enforce 
 thousands of court orders by ensuring offenders remain within their own 
 walls during curfew hours €€€ and allow the immediate verification of ID 
 details when challenged. 
  
 The internal tags also have a use in maintaining order within prisons. In 
 the United States, they are used to track the movement of gang members 
 within jails. 
  
 Offenders themselves would prefer a tag they can forget about, instead of 
 the bulky kit carried around on the ankle. 
  
 The case against: 'The rest of us could be next' 
  
 Professionals in the criminal justice system maintain that the present 
 system is 95 per cent effective. Radio frequency identification (RFID) 
 technology is unproven. The technology is actually more invasive, and 
 carries more information about the host. The devices have been dubbed 
 "spychips" by critics who warn that they would transmit data about the 
 movements of other people without their knowledge. 
  
 Consumer privacy expert Liz McIntyre said a colleague had already proved 
 he could "clone" a chip. "He can bump into a chipped person and siphon 
 the chip's unique signal in a matter of seconds," she said. 
  
 One company plans deeper implants that could vibrate, electroshock the 
 implantee, broadcast a message, or serve as a microphone to transmit 
 conversations. "Some folks might foolishly discount all of these 
 downsides and futuristic nightmares since the tagging is proposed for 
 criminals like rapists and murderers," Ms McIntyre said. "The rest of us 
 could be next." 
  
 --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05 
  * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)