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The Forum > Article Comments > Chips under the skin: 'convenient' but not wise > Comments

Chips under the skin: 'convenient' but not wise : Comments

By Mal Fletcher, published 27/5/2015

Implants may appear convenient, but we must consider whether or not we want our bodies to become hackable devices.

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Hackability requires a connection, either wireless or a line!

Given neither would apply to under skin chips, but require physical contact of some sort; say a magnetic instrument held close to bare skin?

The feared outcome is hardly likely to arise?

We will always find some people who fear the future or change, which will likely include unhackable quantum computing; I say, let the chips and properly informed personal choice fall where they may!
Rhrosty.
Posted by Rhrosty, Wednesday, 27 May 2015 11:37:39 AM
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Watch out microchip hosts:

The author is right to be concerned about "Super-computers, like IBM’s famous Watson machine, allow the speedy analysis of all this information and the discovery of patterns within it....For all its benefits, however, Big Data remains a form of soft surveillance."

There is "soft" surveillance by companies of a person's Googling, supermarket purchases, metadata and other actions on computers for for commercial reasons.

Microchipping of people for "hard" (ie. security) surveillance purposes might be even more intrusive because:

- "NSAs" have more supercomputer processing and storage capacity than any organisation to follow on-person microchips and then store people's activity Forever IF there is legal justifications (laws, regulations etc) provided for such storage

- by law NSAs can require telcos and ISPs to reveal their records - not yet about microchips but that might be next

- on-person microchips could send data by wifi to a person's innocent looking mobiles or to home computers...opening up incredible surveillance opportunities

- any sensors anywhere (not only CCTV) but in your car or any manmade object could potentially intercept on-person microchip signals. Great for recording your movements, actions and, of course, location at any time. Whoever/whatever you are sleeping with...

Whole classes of people, eg. Palestinians living in Israel, may need to watchout what authorities gradually require...

- hook a microchip up to your eyes or brain...
Just wait.

One shouldn't agree to be microchipped (like a dog) lightly.
Posted by plantagenet, Wednesday, 27 May 2015 6:02:34 PM
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It started with tattoos and piercings - apparently being born in the image of God is not enough for some, who despise freedom, whose role-models are prisoners and who are more intimately comfortable with electronic devices than with their own spouse.

Ever wonder why we got bodies in the first place?
Posted by Yuyutsu, Wednesday, 27 May 2015 8:15:44 PM
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Mmmm... chips.

I like chips.
Posted by Toni Lavis, Wednesday, 27 May 2015 9:46:33 PM
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The propensity of the paranoid* to imagine their brains are being "watched by chips" that are secretly implanted could become a problem. This is given future advances that may make possible secret implanting of very very tiny plastic chips that are very difficult to detect .

* Take Monis for example http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-28/sydney-siege-inquest-man-monis-thought-people-read-his-mind/650289
Posted by plantagenet, Thursday, 28 May 2015 12:59:30 PM
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I'm prepared to have a chip on my shoulder, if that helps?
Posted by Craig Minns, Thursday, 28 May 2015 1:06:33 PM
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The author doesn't really seem to understand the topic he has written about, which probably explains the straw man arguments he uses to arrive at an irrelevant conclusion.

One key question he fails to ask himself is 'why' would someone want to implant some sort of technology within their body. Our research team dabbles in the invention of transplantable technology and the authors so-called biochips. Technology we are currently working on include devices that can be attached to transplanted organs and provide readouts regarding organ health (for monitoring organ rejection), devices that can measure glucose concentrations for diabetics, as well as miniaturized pacemakers. Obviously these devices are all health-related, and some are simply miniaturized versions of current internal and external technologies.

My main point, is that for people considering these implants, there is a well-defined function and specific advantages for these devices to be implanted. Unless we are all going to start walking around naked, then I foresee the majority of technology (expected to be around 6-7 connected devices per person by 2020), will be worn externally (phones, watches, shoes, glasses/contacts etc.). The implantation of devices will only be performed if the the device requires this localization for it's function. Perhaps this is just my own bias, but I can't think of many applications (other than consensual) for devices to be subcutaneous.

For the authors example of implantable 'apple pay/credit card' type devices, the advantages do not seem obvious, as I believe it is unlikely that people will be discarding a smart phone-type devices any time soon, which perform the same role. Additionally the disadvantages stated such as disassociating spending from physical currency, is equally valid for current technology (credit cards, apply pay etc.).

Other arguments regarding hacking, tracking, privacy, debt, data commercialization are all valid for the use of almost all of technology we use. The cognitive function, cancer and android stuff crossed the line from uniformed straw man arguments into luddite fear mongering.
Posted by Stezza, Thursday, 28 May 2015 10:36:07 PM
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Rhosty appeares to not be aware that there are people walking around
reading the credit cards in peoples wallets and handbags right now.

You can buy little metal sleeves in which to keep your credit card.
If someone does read out your credit card from under your skin it
means that you have to have the old one removed and a new one inserted.
Nah ! I think I will keep the plastic.
Posted by Bazz, Sunday, 31 May 2015 10:11:28 AM
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"Nah ! I think I will keep the plastic."

I won't have either!
Posted by Yuyutsu, Sunday, 31 May 2015 10:14:35 AM
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The beauty of plastic implants are that they are much smaller than a grain of rice and can be injected in muscle next to bone where detection is extremely unlikely.

This is in situations where special surveillance targets have no idea they've been chipped - no knowledge, no choice.
Posted by plantagenet, Sunday, 31 May 2015 1:37:42 PM
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