Snart vet Big Brother hvor vi alle er til enhver tid. Det er bare å
implantere en liten brikke for å kunne følge oss alle døgnet rundt pr.
satelitt.
"Skit är skit, om än per satellit". Den konsentrasjonsleir som vil bli
følgen av dette er ikke ny på noen annen måte enn at 1) den er global og
2) jødestjerner og andre sorteringsmerker blir erstattet med
elektronikk.
Karsten Johansen
Sunday, 24 March, 2002, 08:02 GMT
Chips to fight kidnapping
Blurring the distinction between man and machine
By Jane Wakefield
BBC News Online
An American company is considering producing electronic implants that
could be used to keep tabs on kidnap victims via satellite.
Originally Applied Digital Solutions had intend to market its VeriChip
to patients who want to keep their medical records under their skin.
But recently the firm has caved in to pressure to include tracking
devices.
"If a market demand exists for an implantable GPS, (Global Positioning
Satellite), device of some kind, which now seems to be the case, the
company will try to meet that demand," said a spokesman for Applied
Digital Solutions.
"There seems to be a pressing need for this kind of product to stem the
tide of kidnappings in Latin America.
"So we're very interested in responding to this demand and to help save
lives," he said.
Big Brother worries
The VeriChip is not yet available as it is pending US Government
approval.
But as chip implants designed for medical uses mutate into tracking
devices, the debate about how good the technology will be for us is
being reopened.
Would you want a chip implanted?
Once the technology has been developed it will not be easy to stop it
being used for surveillance purposes believes Ian Pearson, BT's
futurologist.
"You can't put the cat back in the bag. It depends on whether
governments want to increase surveillance rather than on the
technology," he said.
For head of Privacy International, Simon Davies, the closer relationship
between the body and technology is not a happy one.
"The intimacy between technology and the flesh crosses a line," he said
"My instinct tells me this is an entirely unnecessary and dangerous
technology."
Available technology
But some may see tracker chips as a positive development.
After 11 September many western governments have become paranoid about
security and want to keep a closer eye on citizens with schemes such as
national ID cards.
"You can't get a better ID card than one you can put under your skin,"
points out Mr Pearson.
The technology necessary to locate a person geographically is not
particularly sophisticated.
It has been around for years in the chips that are implanted beneath the
skin of pets.
Sensational chips
But chips are set to get a whole lot more complicated.
Chips that monitor blood chemistry are already being made as are ones
that can be connected to the nervous system to allow movement in limbs
that have been damaged.
The next stage would be making chips that can interpret sensations and
connect people that are physically removed from each other.
"There is no reason why you couldn't shake hands across a network or
make love to your boyfriend," said Mr Pearson.
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