British government rules against using microchips to track offenders

Britain's government considered surgically inserting microchips in criminal offenders to track them more easily, but ruled it out because of health and technical reasons, officials said Sunday.

However, the Independent newspaper reported Sunday that the plan remains in place. The report cited an unidentified government minister who said the chips under consideration use radio frequency identification, the same technology used to track pets, cattle and airport luggage.

The proposed chips would be injected into the arms of criminals on probation using a hypodermic needle. Police could use it like a barcode, drawing up offenders' information with a wave of a scanner, the report said.

Britain's Justice Ministry acknowledged that it looked into the possibility of using such chips but ruled it out for technical and health reasons.

Civil liberties advocates have criticized the use of radio frequency I.D. chips in humans.