Implanted microchips - boon or bane?

[Samarkand]

I recently stumbled across this article that describes how
80 employees of a technology company have voluntarily
decided to have a microchip implanted into their hand in order to
be able to use various "features" like paying for stuff at a vending
machine with a wave of their hand or logging into their computers.

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/611884/this-company-embeds-microchips-in-its-employees-and-they-love-it/

On the one hand this seems to be a very promising technology, which
will enable humans to do all kinds of cool stuff. But on the other hand
this could be the precursor to a really dystopian future. Imagine a ruthless dictator that
can ban you from buying food or other necessities of life just by putting
your personal microchip on some kind of blacklist.

What are your thoughts on this technology? Is the advent of implanted
microchips a boon or a bane for the individual and for society as a whole?

[Jet Cash]

It's about as stupid as believing that electric cars are good for the environement, and vaccinations are currently being used to avoid illness, rather than to propagate it.

[suchmoon]

On the one hand this seems to be a very promising technology, which
will enable humans to do all kinds of cool stuff. But on the other hand
this could be the precursor to a really dystopian future. Imagine a ruthless dictator that
can ban you from buying food or other necessities of life just by putting
your personal microchip on some kind of blacklist.

A ruthless dictator could block your bank account / debit card / credit card just as easily. So the problem would be not so much the type of the technology involved but the overall infrastructure, e.g. if cash is eliminated as payment method, or if those chips have to call the mothership for every transaction and can't work decentralized/offline.

Having said that, embedded chips sound even more dorky than the Google Glass crap and provide zero benefit over a (slightly less dorky) smartwatch.

[KonstantinosM]

Neither.

Well, I would only implant such a device if both the software and the hardware was open source, secure from most cracking/hacking attempts and independently verified as safe by an unbiased third party.


If the government made such a chip, and offered everyone $1000 in tax credits, I would be very suspicious of it and I wouldn't implant it.

If google came up with it, and the software and hardware was even partly closed source and proprietary, I wouldn't touch it.

[markdario112616]

Well, If you'd watch the movie "Kingsman", These could be a threat for those who voluntarily implanted chips, especially that it seems a promising invention but the true intention is hidden below them. This indeed to be a breakthrough in the advance technology, hence, this could also violate the privacy and security of an individual.

PS; If I were to ask, I'd better stay off in a such, I don't want any part of my body to explode.

[bitmover]

It's about as stupid as believing that electric cars are good for the environement, and vaccinations are currently being used to avoid illness, rather than to propagate it.

I agree about cars, and about some vaccinations.. I hate those h1n1 vaccinations for example. But not all vaccinations.

A ruthless dictator could block your bank account / debit card / credit card just as easily. So the problem would be not so much the type of the technology involved but the overall infrastructure, e.g. if cash is eliminated as payment method, or if those chips have to call the mothership for every transaction and can't work decentralized/offline.

Having said that, embedded chips sound even more dorky than the Google Glass crap and provide zero benefit over a (slightly less dorky) smartwatch.

I believe that implanted chips will be really a problem soon, and we are close to that.

In a few years everyone will WANT to have an expensive chip implanted. Something like an iPhone, iMplant or whatever...

Smartphones are a huge privacy invasion. Now we are being tracked by Google GPS 100% of the time, our phone activity recorded, etc.

Implants will be a greater privacy invasion. The next level.

Personally, I do not use my smartphone GPS. Will I be able to turn of my implanted GPS?

Implants, or any new technology, will come with benefits that will be REQUIRED to live a normal live, like a smartphone now. Who can live a normal life now without a smartphone? Everyone demands that you answer email and texted messages immediately.

I always remember black mirror episodes. If you guys don't know it, I recommend it . You can view it on Netflix.

There is one episode about an implant that recorded everything you see, since you were born. And you were able to share what you saw,, rewind, zoom in /out, etc. Very interesting.

[suchmoon]

I always remember black mirror episodes. If you guys don't know it, I recommend it . You can view it on Netflix.

There is one episode about an implant that recorded everything you see, since you were born. And you were able to share what you saw,, rewind, zoom in /out, etc. Very interesting.

Black Mirror is great. I hope Netflix is still around in 20 years so that I could watch it again and see how much of it was prophetic.

[bitmover]

I always remember black mirror episodes. If you guys don't know it, I recommend it . You can view it on Netflix.

There is one episode about an implant that recorded everything you see, since you were born. And you were able to share what you saw,, rewind, zoom in /out, etc. Very interesting.

Black Mirror is great. I hope Netflix is still around in 20 years so that I could watch it again and see how much of it was prophetic.

Yes I hope I can show it to my son in the future!

The first 2 or 3 seasons were better, as Netflix bought the series and made the last seasons

However, everything is great.

[BitPotus]

yeah.

wack some chips in your arm and make yourself a target....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlO2gcs1YvM

[bitart]

I like conspiracy theories What if we all have a chip, smaller than you can see on that picture of the article, and we don't know about it? Dogs also don't have a clue that they have a chip inside What if we already have received that chip with the e.g. h1n1 vaccination last year? If a company is testing that chip (normal size), national agencies should already have a half sized type or even smaller...
And when you travel by e.g. underground, you can easily get one injected into your bottom, and you won't notice it, you'll think it was just a mosquito

[BitPotus]

I like conspiracy theories What if we all have a chip, smaller than you can see on that picture of the article, and we don't know about it? Dogs also don't have a clue that they have a chip inside What if we already have received that chip with the e.g. h1n1 vaccination last year? If a company is testing that chip (normal size), national agencies should already have a half sized type or even smaller...
And when you travel by e.g. underground, you can easily get one injected into your bottom, and you won't notice it, you'll think it was just a mosquito

http://thefutureofthings.com/3221-hitachi-develops-worlds-smallest-rfid-chip/


Researchers Develop Microscopic RFID Chip to Embed in Human Cells

https://www.rfidjournal.com/articles/view?16498



I had heard about "smart dust" and thought it was bs.

Mar 13, 2003—March 14, 2003 - Hitachi, the Japanese semiconductor company, has unveiled a prototype for the next generation of its µ-Chip (pronounced mu-chip). The chip is just 0.3 millimeters square, roughly half the size of the smallest RFID chip on the market.

If that was around in 2003, god knows what exists now.

[paxmao]

It's about as stupid as believing that electric cars are good for the environement

I am a fool then. An electric car engine lasts a huge amount of kilometers. Thus is reduces waste.

In term of greenhouse gases, it is not good nor bad, since electricity can be from carbon neutral sources or not. However, and this is the main reason why I think they should be the only cars allowed in cities is that I don't like to pee in the same place I drink, that is, I don't like cancerigenous and toxic substances in the same place I breathe.

What I feel when a f**ing lorry or car passes near me is the equivalent of receiving a load of monkey shit in my face.

[bitmover]

It's about as stupid as believing that electric cars are good for the environement

In term of greenhouse gases, it is not good nor bad, since electricity can be from carbon neutral sources or not. However, and this is the main reason why I think they should be the only cars allowed in cities is that I don't like to pee in the same place I drink, that is, I don't like cancerigenous and toxic substances in the same place I breathe.

About beign the only cars allowed in cities, this depends a lot  on the city architecture / infrastructure.

In America (north and south), that's not possible in most cities, because distances are too big to be made by foot/bike and you can't have busses and subway everywhere. In Europe there is a different situation and people may be closer to banning cars.

Also those electric cars are too expensive for people to use, and in most cities of the world cars are the only mean of transportation available. In Brazil, if you don't ha e a car you basically can't work in most cities.or you have to spend3-5hours daily in buses and waking.


I agree that electric cars are not good for the environment now. The manufacturing of batteries causes more pollution than using normal cars. However, I believe in the long term this situation will change, and with further research/development those cars will be greener and more efficient.