Tagging Humans with RFID: Next step..
I've asked many of my friends and colleagues for their thoughts on having RFID implanted in humans for identity verification purposes, and many of them rejected the idea and had a variety of concerns the use of such system, including:
- The potential for unauthorized access to the data on the RFID-enabled device
- The concern that the information produced by an RFID-enabled credential system for a stated purpose might be used or leveraged for a different type of purpose without the knowledge of those people whose information was collected for the original purpose.
- The concern that it is more about expanding the surveillance of individuals with more effectiveness.
Now, I see why the concept of tagging people gets received with pessimism and rejection. But, I believe people need to come to realization that such system can be more beneficial to individuals daily routines with such as checking out from the market with a swipe of hand, never have to worry about forgetting the driving license or such.
Many people perceive the concept of RFID as a chip that contains all personal & financial information, which is a misconception. The RFID will only contain an identification number that can be scanned by certain devices only. The device will also need the individual to enter the PIN code for authorization for personal / financial information access from the central database.
From my perspective, I see the "extreme" rejection to such RFID usage on humans is unjustifiable, and the reason is due to misinterpretation of the system concept and lack of understanding of benefits of the system. But then, if RFID will be solely controlled by the government, then I totally reject the idea as a whole. The last thing I need to be is a slave to such system. Here is a video of Aaro Russo talking about the conspiracy theory behind RFID human implant:
I mean, if our personal & financial information is already stored in central databases that are owned by private / public institutions (i.e. hospitals, banks, credit scores inst., governments, etc) where authorized individuals can access all private information by handing them your ID, then why not just have RFID? Many people say: SECURITY & IMMORAL.
Let's look at it from security perspective: Identity theft has recently increased tremendously due to many factors. But with RFID in place, identity theft is not possible since it requires RFID & PIN code and not social security # and some sort of fake ID. As for "IMMORAL", that can only be solved with mind-shifting or brain-washing :)
I don't see why not have RFID identity verification system be based on OPENID framework, this will give the individual the power of choice of whom to share his / her personal information with and enable decentralized information access.
But anyway, there are many issues that needs to be resolved, from privacy risks to security concerns. Things already have started progressing towards such system, here are few examples:
- Governments are issuing passports & IDs with RFID chipset built in for ease of identity verification and increase security measure.
- Healthcare industry: in US, companies are providing various types of RFID built-in products to allow hospitals to monitor patients for certain things, including blood pressure & blood glucose level.
Last month, the FDA approved an implantable, rice-grain-sized microchip for use in humans. The tiny subcutaneous RFID chip, made by a company called VeriChip, is being marketed as a lifesaving device. If you're brought to an emergency room unconscious, a scanner in the hospital doorway will read your chip's unique ID. That will unlock your medical records from a database, allowing doctors to learn about your penicillin allergy or your pacemaker.
Health monitoring can be the tipping point for people to start thinking of the possibility of having RFID for various applications.
RFID technology still has a long way to go, but I think, soon in near future, it is enviable for RFID to be part of our daily lives.
Comments [0]