Under a new proposal, the UK wants to implant RFID chips under the skin of thousands of offenders so that they can free up more space in British prisons.  If the proposal becomes the law, the RFID chips will be used for home detention, enforcing punishment, and tracking sex offenders once released from prison.

There are several studies questioning the long-term use of RFID chips under the skin, which state that they can cause cancer in lab mice, but they are still being recommended for medical purposes.

Forgery is possible, which is another problem that these governments haven’t even begun to tackle.  RFID chips can also be swapped, erased, removed, destroyed, and lost.  Tampering with them is very easy.

Concerns run the gamut from invading the privacy of prisoners to the slippery slope of “what happens when everyone is required to have an implantable chip under their skin?”  Once it is acceptable for prisoners to wear the tags, whether they are inside or outside prison walls, the gradual step toward mandatory requirement for all citizens will happen.  The last time something similar happened, we chided, scolded, and abhorred the Nazis for tattooing Jews to keep track of them.