Assignment 4 Throughout the recent past, technologies have been created including the computer, the telephone, and

the RFID chip that have had a major impact on several aspects of society. There has been much dispute over the ethical issues that these impacts present. As we move into the future, we can see that everything is becoming virtualized including a lot of our own personal information. We have the ability to store mass amounts of data onto microscopic chips, and we also have the ability to store these chips into living creatures in a safe manner. With all of this apparent, it is easy to imagine a machine-readable, tamper-proof, large-capacity information module that could be permanently implanted into a person, and keep an up to date record of all of his or her personal information. Some of this information could include that person's thoughts, memories, criminal records, medical records, and/or location. As with computers and telephones, such a device presents many ethical dilemmas that might cause people to be weary of its production and use. The purpose of this essay is to analyze some of the problems that it would present, and to determine whether or not it would be a beneficial addition to society. The first problem that arises when discussing a device that has the ability to store every single piece of someone's personal information is that of privacy. Similar to when the telephone and the computer were invented, people will likely be skeptical of whether or not the government will have the ability to access their private information. In an article regarding implantable RFID chips, the author states, "Such implants are a potential threat to human dignity when they are used for surveillance purposes, as they may be used by state authorities, individuals or groups to increase their power over others" [Kumar 2008]. There are multiple ways in which these fears could be alleviated. The first and most important aspect that the chip must have is that citizens must not be required to be implanted with it. Any sign of totalitarianism will immediately bring suspicion to the citizen population. Secondly, the user of the chip must have complete and utter control over every piece of information that it contains and be able to decide what information gets stored onto it. He or she must be able to set permissions about who can view what information, and also have the ability to power down the chip in the case of an emergency. The information should be protected by encryption to give assurance to the user that it is indeed safe. The third action that must be taken in order to assure complete protection over a person's information is to set laws that punish anyone who attempts to access information that they do not have the permission to obtain. Hackers will always be an issue when dealing with virtual information, and is one of the major concerns that this device could bring about. In the past, great hackers have been able to break through even the highest of security. For example, "hackers wouldburrow through companies vulnerable Wi-Fi networks" and "could get into a billion-dollar multinationals servers in minutes" [Verini 2010]. Being able to gain unauthorized access to this human implanted

memory chip would bring a much greater meaning to the term "identity theft". A hacker could gain the ability to learn another person's every thought and memory. Say, for example, that a person's bank account was to also be connected to this chip for ease of currency exchange. A hacker could bankrupt another person with ease if they could gain access to the chip. As with most other aspects of this device, this particular topic falls back to the issue of privacy and the potential that it has to put people's personal information at risk. As stated earlier, setting laws regarding the chip is important, but how can these laws be enforced without violating the privacy of the people that are being protected by them? There needs to be access limits for law enforcement agencies. For instance, in the case of a missing person, a law enforcement officer could have access to the location of that person through the chip. This could be done if there was a safe manner in which a person could allow access to a particular piece of information without allowing access to the entire chip. In addition, the existence of this piece of technology would have the potential to identify crime suspects with ease, but how could it be done without violating the privacy of the innocent? Evidence in a court case, for example, could be pulled directly from the memories of those involved. In my opinion, it would be best to pull information and memories from people who voluntarily allow it, such as witnesses or victims. Would pulling memories from a deceased victim of a murder case be considered unethical? There are many questions that can arise from a legal standpoint when discussing such a powerful device, especially when there are ethical concerns. In addition to affecting the enforcement of the law, the chip will also affect how laws are created, and how the legislators are voted for. For example, it would be easier to get a better representation of the people's views because they could display their thoughts on a particular issue through the chip. If all of these thoughts were compiled to a single database, it would be simple to discover trends in voters opinions, and to find candidates that best supported these trends. In addition, people will be able to remember the promises made by each of the candidates because every memory of the candidates speeches will be stored onto the chip. In this manner, the voter will be able to make the most suitable decision based on the information about each candidate that is stored on his or her chip. A more accurate voting representation means a more trusted government, and therefore legislators can truly make laws based on what the people want. Though there are many possible negative impacts that such a chip could have on society, there is still an innumerable amount of positive effects that could result. Having the ability to store every possible memory and piece of information that you learn onto a device, and being able to recall that information at any given time would be incredibly useful. For instance, it would completely eradicate the need for testing in schools because any person could easily retain the information that they learn. In addition, school systems could greatly expedite the

speed at which they teach material, and it would most likely result in a major boost in the creations of new technologies because every person would have the potential to be a super-genius. The discoveries that humans could make with the existence of this chip would be endless. Even though this device poses many potential threats to our privacy, I believe that the benefits that it could provide for our society would greatly outweigh the risks, and that it would be an incredible step forward for mankind.

Works Cited J. Verini, "The Great Cyberheist," The New York Times, 2010. V. Kumar, "Implantable RFID Chips," in The Future of Identity in the Information Society, ed: Springer, 2008, pp. 151-157.