Post by Watchman on Jun 16, 2006 9:50:37 GMT -5
Rather than search their pockets for house keys, a Vancouver couple this winter implanted tiny computer chips in their hands. Now, with just a quick wave, the door opens.
No question it's convenient. Amal Graafstra says he can also start his computer with the chip instead of typing in a password.
But it's also easy to imagine how quickly this new technology, radio frequency identification chips, could be put to more Orwellian use.
Alberta Privacy Commissioner Frank Work says human chip implantation is inevitably coming to Canada, though there's been precious little debate about the ethics of putting such technology to work here.
Many uses will be "well-intentioned" at first, says Work. But there are bound to be more troubling uses with serious implications for individual privacy, he says.
In 2004, the U.S. approved the use of microchips for patients' health records, and a few hundred doctors have bought such chips for implantation. If you end up in the hospital emergency ward, the chip could be helpful to medical staff who could get an instant picture of your medical history. But who would have access to all the information?
Will police or insurance companies also get it?
These microchips already end up coming home in the clothes you buy, although they aren't supposed to activate after they leave the store. Every new shirt will soon have a chip to allow for inventory control.
The potential uses of the microchip for surveillance and security in police work are obvious, and both tempting and troubling. A U.S. company is touting the VeriChip, an identification tag injected into the flesh that could be used to verify a credit-card purchase. But the company is also marketing it as a way to identify immigrants and guest workers. Not surprisingly, that raises civil liberties concerns.
In response, the state of Wisconsin passed a law last month making it illegal to require an individual to receive a microchip. Consent is certainly a key factor in this debate. The best protection against invasion of privacy that will come with this technology is to not use the chip or to refuse to give consent if asked — although Work notes there can be difficult issues around consent.
At this point, the best strategy may be to just say "No."
Copyright Toronto Star Newspapers Limited.