A few dozen people, mostly academics in the USA involved in the development of the project, have had a smart chip the size of a rice grain inserted subcutaneously.
Of course tens of millions of pets (and valuable animals like racehorses) have carried these identification tags for years with no obvious detrimental effects. In addition the Veri-Chip can link to a database of medical records. The human version has broadcasting capabilities offering, for example, GPS data of the bearer’s location. It is advertised as a foil against abduction attempts.
Before this becomes as ubiquitous as the mobile phone a public debate is essential. This is my penny ha’pence worth.
The Veri-Chip measures twelve by two millimetres and is encased in glass with a special polyethylene sheath that bonds to the skin. The cost of being chipped is currently about