Technology Of Human Microchipping: Drawbacks, Benefits And Future

The beginning of human microchipping technology makes use to simplify a lot of things. An RFID (short-range radio frequency identification) chip is a tiny two-way radio that is approximately a size of a grain of rice. It is a microchip enveloped in medical-grade silicone that is implanted under the skin where it is capable to hold all sorts of information about the holder’s identity, leading to a database with more detailed information about the wearer. Just that tiny microchip inserted under the skin could hold the key to many aspects of one’s life like the credit card information, train tickets, bus pass, can even replace the need to carry keys and many other sources of information one usually carry inside the wallet. Implanting microchips in humans had been practiced long before, mainly in medical businesses. Heart pacemakers, microchips in the spinal cord, and even animal identification were considered as some of the medical innovations that implantable microchips contributed to the field of medicine.

In 2015, minimal access to microchipping technology was first acknowledged in Sweden and 0. 03% of its entire population was subjected to the insertion of the microchip. In a country that is sharp on new technology and sees the sharing of personal information as a sign of a transparent society, the Swedes have gone on to be very active in microchipping.

RFID chips carry potential risks to human health and undergoes several privacy issues. Despite the FDA’s green light signal in October 2004, microchipping in humans garnered several doubts to the public about its safety. One of its concerns is that it does not stay at the exact same location in our bodies because it travels around making it hard to trace. This makes the chips risky during medical emergencies. Ben Libberton, a microbiologist at MAX IV Laboratory in Sweden stated that microchipping could cause infections and reaction to the immune system.

An RFID chip targets to replace keys, business cards, and more, by storing the data in the microchip which is to be implanted in an individual’s body. This makes the data access more convenient and easier because personal data are already embedded in the body thus, putting the person at risk for all the personal information might get into the wrong hands. Relying information on a single chip gives rise to the possibility of data leakage which leads for hackers and other no-gooders to access the data for impersonation or theft. In addition, because of the ease of tracking down underlying documents, the person is subject to fraud. According to Ramesh (1997), this device can also emit radio signals which could be tracked hence, constant monitoring would be possible. By dialing the correct signals, a person implanted with the chip could be tracked anywhere. Based on RFID Microchip Implant (2013), RFID tag and reader collision can occur when there are many tags present in a small area. All of the signals of the various tags can be energized and reflected by the tag reader simultaneously. As a result, the RFID reader fails to differentiate between incoming data and causes data overlapping of the coverage by one RFID reader with the coverage area of another reader. With the possible overlapping of information, a chip of an individual is easy to mimic. Moreover, because of the abundance of RFID tags within an area, signal interference and multiple reads of the same tag is likely to happen.

For these microchips to work, Swain (2014) states that “a chip would need to be truly universal and account for potential obsolescence. ” This is because a variety of identification systems are spread throughout the world and there is no general communication among these machines. Standard in American microchips, precisely in frequency (kHz), is still a problem a decade later and until today due to competitions in the market. In 2001 and 2006, manufacturers decline to agree in one American standard arranged by the American National Standards Institute, resulting in technical mismatches. Although, according to Lord, Pennell, Ingwersen, and Fisher’s (2008) study, there are universal scanners available, however, they are not 100% sensitive for detection and require more than once of scanning. Moreover, there is no doubt that frequent updates and replacements for better devices are needed to cope up with the fast-paced progress of technology, making these planted chips relatively a disadvantage for future features and difficulty for replacement access. Even though these chips may only be expensive at first and is considered cheap in the long run, it still cost a significant amount for most of the people. According to NBC News (2004), implantation ranges from $150 to $200. Some companies also require registration to maintain services that charge additional fees, which makes affordability and availability correlated to the said issue. With these drawbacks at hand, it cannot be denied that companies may use this technology for mere profit and possibility of (insert), thus Phade (2018) suggest that microchips must be closely scrutinized and must set a universal standard prior to mass adoption.

The act of microchipping humans is purely done for convenience. Various studies in favor of human microchip implantation imply that many of its benefits are inclined to the healthcare industry. These studies hope to prove that with the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) tasks in the medical field are performed more efficiently by providing easier access to vital information that may have a crucial affect to the patients’ lives.

One of those benefits includes the application RFID to get easier access to patients’ medical records. Castro & Wamba (2007) as cited by Smith (2008) states that with RFID, medical personnels can simply read the microchips embedded within the patients to gain instant access to the their medical records. This includes safety requirements and medical information like allergies, medication the patient is currently taking or medication a doctor will prescribe to the patient. According to Smith (2008), with the use of RFID hospitals and drug manufacturers can track and manage drugs through the supply chain. With the use of RFID pharmaceticules will have better quality while errors in delivery such as wrong types or numbers of drugs can be detected easily. By implanting microchips in patients, mixed ups and escapes in hospitals can be controlled. RFID chips can used for tracking which is important especially for patients with dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease, or for elderlies and babies.

Conclusion

The future of microchipping in humans is interesting, with many potential applications it have. Still, there are both potential problems and benefits linked with human microchipping. However, the potential risks it bring somehow outweighs the benefits associated with it. One problem is that a person’s privacy could be severely infringed upon. This could happen because the person’s movements, both physically and financially, could be tracked. Personal data about a person could be sold or hacked into.