Mandatory Human Chip Implants Essay

The idea of mandatory human chip implants is wrong on so many different levels. Not only is there a major concern about how it will affect the privacy of society, but also how much we don’t know about the adverse effects on the actual human body. Another major concern is the public backlash that can be expected from all religious bodies and communities. This is why we as a society must stand up for what we believe is right, and what is right is that mandatory human chip implants cannot and will not be tolerated. One of the biggest issues with mandatory human chip implants is privacy issues and concerns. Many questions immediately come up whenever the topic arises. What organization or body of government controls the data stored from these chips? Is the information stored in the chip safe and secure? Can my information be stolen and or sold? As of right now the only chip approved for humans in a medical application is the â€Å"Verichip†. The Verichip is a chip comparable to the size of a grain of rice. It is a fairly simple device that consists of only a coiled wire and a hermetically sealed microchip inside a glass casing. It uses the coil as an antenna to create a radio signal that is unique. This unique signal can be transmitted and received to identify a person’s medical records if they are in some sort of dire state in which they could not communicate efficiently.(Foster, Kenneth R. 2007,March) This could save so many lives in the medical field simply by pulling up a patient’s records and receiving this signal. In a perfect world this would work correctly and only for good intentions but, the way we as a society constantly strive to streamline every aspect of our life, where would it stop? The notion or idea is that it would replace driver’s licenses or bank atm and debit cards. Social security numbers, birth certificates, bank account numbers, basically your entire life. As technology continues to grow and advance, how secure can these chips really be? If someone was able to steal your signal they would be able to do so many things with the information stored in it. Your life would be stolen in the blink of an eye. Also, another terrifying realization is if the signal is stolen or locked on to, you could be followed or tracked. This is very unsettling if we cannot be sure how safe this information really is. Would you really want someone  to know where you or your loved ones are at all times? What if some sick individual was watching your child or children? The possibilities are endless in these scenarios. So with no guarantee on how secure the information stored in these chips really is, this is one of the many reasons why there should not be mandatory human chip implants. Another strong arguing point on this subject is health concerns. With these devices being as small as they are, there is not enough data to prove that they are not a health concern. There is lots of data about these chips that should raise some eyebrows, as well as the manner in which they were approved by the FDA. Back in 2005 when the FDA approved human chip implants they claimed with â€Å"†reasonable assurance† the device was safe. The one thing they failed to mention in that claim was that studies going back to the mid-nineties directly links these chip implants with cancer. Many studies and research showed that one in six lab rats developed tumors because of the implanted chip. So how could this slip by the FDA you ask? According to Lewan (2007), well back in 2005 when it was brought before the FDA for approval, the head of the Department of Health and Human Services at the time which presided over the FDA, was a man by the name of Tommy Thompson. Well two weeks af ter the approval of the chip in humans, Thompson left his position at the DHHS to become a board member of VeriChip Corp. and Applied Digital Solutions. Even though it was five months later, he was compensated with cash and stock options from the companies. Can we chalk this up as a coincidence? I don’t think so. With all the facts and research done on this particular subject I find it hard to believe that the FDA did not come across any of this information before approving human chip implants. So with the data already in front of us claiming to link these chips with cancer in lab rats, can we honestly agree to be implanted ourselves? Finally, the thought or notion of human chip implants would cause a huge backlash in our religious communities. Just recently in Virginia, there was a public outcry against mandatory micro-chipping that caused the House of Representatives to vote on the subject matter. Krunkle , (2010) wrote, Del. Mark L. Cole (R-Fredericksburg), the bill’s sponsor, is quoted saying â€Å"My understanding — I’m not a theologian — but there’s a prophecy in the Bible  that says you’ll have to receive a mark, or you can neither buy nor sell things in end times,† Cole said. â€Å"Some people think these computer chips might be that mark.†(p.1) In our society, religion is at times, a very controversial and touchy subject matter between religious communities. There will be millions of people who will become distraught if human chip implants become mandatory. Our country has so many different religious cultures that it would directly effect. Are we r eally ready for the consequences that will follow if this eventually happens? In conclusion, we as a society need to stand up to what we consider right from wrong. So is it wrong to make someone have a chip implanted so they can buy or sell things in order for them to survive even though it goes against their religious beliefs? Or is it wrong for these chips to be approved for humans even though there is substantial evidence that it could cause cancer. The answer is entirely up to us. My conclusion is that yes, it is completely wrong. Not only does it violate our ethical privacy rights as human beings, it also causes so many concerns medically and spiritually. We cannot allow this to come to fruition. We have to stand up for ourselves and our beliefs and say no to mandatory human chip implants to protect our future generations to come. References Foster, Kenneth R (2007, March) The murky ethics of implanted chips. IEEE spectrum. Retrieved from http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~markhill/cs252/Spring2013/handouts/spectrum07_rfid_ethics.pdf Holtzman, David H (2008). Human ID chips get under my skin, BusinessWeek Online, 5-5(1). Krunkle, Frederick (2010). Human chips seen by some in Virginia House as device of antichrist, The Lewan, Todd (2007). Chip implants linked to animal tumors, The Washington Post Washington Post