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_doctor_lovetoday at 1:35 AM4 repliesview on HN

Microchipping dogs makes a lot of sense. What are the privacy concerns though? If someone wants to hunt a person down, I imagine the microchips in the dogs would make a great tracking device.


Replies

duskwufftoday at 2:08 AM

> I imagine the microchips in the dogs would make a great tracking device.

They don't. The range of a typical chip reader is a few inches - reading one requires handling the dog (and can be tricky if the chip's migrated from its expected position). It's not something that can be done covertly, or from a distance.

xoxxalatoday at 1:37 AM

They are very short range RFID tags that contain no personal information, just an ID number. They don’t make good tracking devices.

Some owners do use GPS trackers or AirTag like devices.

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randycupertinotoday at 2:20 AM

It may vary by company but a lot of the time the chip company acts as a neutral intermediary. For example we adopted a homeless cat, and the vet found a chip on her, gave us the chip company info. The chip company wouldn't give us the owner's information but contacted them on our behalf and said we'd found her. They replied to the chip company who told us they moved away and we could have her. We love her so much!

imp0cattoday at 6:02 AM

Yes, the data can help uncover Russian spies. There is a fascinating yt document about it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjo0iLssbI8 ( How I caught an Illegal Russian Spy )