Would VeriChip information be available in a natural disaster?
Maybe not. Because the VeriChip implant contains no medical information about the patient, only a 16-digit ID number, a medical technician must log onto the Internet to access a patient’s record. During or immediately after a natural or man-made disaster such as a hurricane, earthquake, tornado, or terrorist incident, the Internet may be inaccessible at the very time when medical records would most be needed. The VeriChip Corporation acknowledges this problem, and expresses concern that the company may be sued if patients cannot access their data, stating: “the database may not function properly if certain necessary third-party systems fail, or if some other unforeseen act or natural disaster should occur. In the past, we have experienced short periods during which the database was inaccessible…” It appears that relying on a VeriChip implant to transmit sensitive medical information during or immediately after a natural disaster could be a risky proposition. Here it is in the company
It may be unwise to rely on a VeriChip implant for critical medical information during or immediately after a natural disaster—or at any other time when the Internet is sluggish or inaccessible. The VeriChip implant contains no medical information about a patient, only a 16-digit ID number. In order to access a patient’s records, a medical technician must log onto the Internet to access a remote database. If the Internet is inaccessible, the medical information will not be available. After a disaster such as a hurricane, earthquake, tornado, or terrorist incident, the Internet may be disrupted. Ironically, that is the very time when emergency medical records would most be needed. The VeriChip Corporation has acknowledged this potential problem, noting that the company could be sued if patients cannot access medical data when needed.
