The government will soon decide whether to narrow the gap between humans and cyborgs.
It will not be debated in Congress or argued before the Supreme Court. Instead
the decision will come from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Under the
FDA's consideration is whether to allow a Florida company to test computer chip
implants in living human beings. The potential applications for this technology
are profound. It could change the way we receive medical treatment, find kidnapped
victims, and even the way we punish criminals. Proponents of the chip are excited
by these possibilities, and some families are already lining up to be the first
to receive it, but praise for the new technology is not universal. Opposition
stems from two very different sources. Some religious groups worry that the implants
signal the coming apocalypse, while the more widespread fear comes from those
who see chip implants as a great threat to individual privacy.
Applied Digital Solutions (ADS) of Florida is the first to ask for permission
to test computer chip implants for the use in humans. Their early mode being considered
by the FDA is called the Verichip, and is about the size and shape of a grain
of rice. For only a couple hundred dollars, an individual can elect to have it
inserted securely under his skin. Science fiction fans may be disappointed by
the Verichip's relatively humble early capabilities. The chip simply stores a
few lines of text which it transmits to a special scanner when prompted.
A few lines of text, however, are all that is necessary to alert a paramedic of
an unconscious victim's medication allergies, or provide the name and address
of a lost child at the mall. The information provided by the Verichip could also
be linked to a computer database storing more detailed data. In depth medical
records could then be available along with contact information of family members.
While these initial functions of the chips are both practical and necessary to
generate support for further innovation, the real excitement (and fear) of this
technology lies in its potential future applications.
September 11th and the more visible threat of terrorism has stimulated the nation's
desire for a more reliable form of identification, and computer chip implants
could eliminate easily forged ID cards. A modified airplane cockpit door could
deny access to all but the flight crew, just as a bouncer with a scanner at a
local bar could deny those too young to drink. Chip implants could also be linked
to financial information like credit cards, allowing customers to make purchases
with the wave of a hand and without a greatly reduced fear of identity theft.
Computer chip implants could also be combined with Global Positioning System (GPS)
satellites, allowing for the tracking of individuals throughout the world. Parents
could use implants to keep tabs on children, family members could monitor the
status of loved ones suffering from Alzheimer's, and police could instantly track
victims of kidnappings.
The merger of chip implants and GPS could also change some essential government
functions. Soldiers could be implanted with the chip and allow generals to precisely
organize their troops in remote areas, and lost or captured soldiers could be
more easily rescued. The chips could also change the way criminals are punished.
Jailbreaks would be futile if the warden could track escapees on his laptop. Criminals
implanted with the chip upon parole would be greatly discouraged from committing
further crime. The GPS data would show their precise location at the time of the
crime and may give the prosecutor a formidable case. The chip implants would also
be very effective at enforcing restraining orders. Police could monitor restrained
individuals from the precinct, and officers could immediately respond when someone
went to a restricted area. Improvements to the chip could save valuable police
resources by just making the chip beep loudly when the restrained individual violates
his order. Or maybe it should shock him? The chips would seem to be such an effective
deterrent that we might choose to implant the device in all citizens since we
never know who will commit the next crime.
And herein lies the problem. Do we really want to be monitored all the time?
The proposed initial applications may be worthwhile, but many fear this technology
would quickly snowball into a severe threat to individual privacy. Like any technology,
the computer chip implant could potentially be abused. Once the chip is implanted,
there could be little to prevent the wrong people from accessing it. In addition
to the wrong people accessing the information, there is concern that authorized
people would use it for the wrong reasons. For instance, a private company that
monitors the tracking signals from these chips might be tempted to sell such information
to advertisers.
Another authorized user that could pose the greatest threat to individual privacy
is the government. Big Brother would have the ability to monitor citizens around
the clock. Further abuse of this technology might be its use to monitor some groups
more closely than others, resulting in a horrible form of racial profiling.
Those with privacy concerns are joined in their opposition to the chip implants
by some religious groups. These groups fear that chip implants may be the "Mark
of the Beast," as described in Revelations 13:16, symbolizing the coming
apocalypse. Web pages have sprung up condemning the chip implant and gathered
enough support for this view to prompt the makers of the chip to appear on the
religious television program "The 700 Club" to calm fears that the chip is the
work of the Devil.
It may be a long time before we find out if computer chip implants signal an end
to privacy or the end of the world. The technology faces some significant hurdles
before it could see widespread use. The first is economic. In order to warrant
further research and development in this technology, the initial product will
need to succeed. However, few will be willing to purchase the chips if there is
rarely a scanner to read them, and hospitals and other businesses will not be
willing to invest in scanners until the chips are used by many people. Second,
the exciting application of embedded chips involves the use of GPS, and there
is not yet the ability to build a device sensitive enough to communicate with
satellites in orbit, yet small enough to fit under the skin.
Whether the chip will bring us a step closer to cyborgs and conspiracy movies
remains to be seen.
