Lost and found

Twenty years after its invention, RFID seems to be having its year. And while the technology's recent uptake for tracking people and animals is clearly well-intentioned, many feel uneasy about its future societal role.

Spurred by a recent increase in crimes against children, the people of Osaka, Japan, have decided to track local children with radio frequency identification tags. Parents will receive e-mail or phone alerts whenever their children scan tags at various checkpoints.

CNN last week posted a heart-warming tale of a man reunited with his lost dog after eight years of separation--all thanks to a computer chip that had been implanted in the dog's neck when he was young.

And in a bizarre development, a string of Mexican officials are now having microchips implanted under their skin. The chips' benefits are twofold: They grant access to a highly secure government database; and they can be traced if ever their "hosts" are abducted. Mexico ranks second in the world for kidnappings.

While the tracking technologies--and reasons behind their use--are a far cry from the telescreens of George Orwell's classic "1984" (to which RFID is often compared), the recent surge in the tags' use has many people reeling over the potential slippery slope we may be headed down.

If you can stomach the possibility of Big Brother tracking your whereabouts day-in and day-out, go for it. Just don't expect to win your next game of hide-and-seek.