Getting chips implanted in their body isn't actually new to Swedens. Since 2018, people have been getting NFC chips surgically inserted into the gap between their thumb and index finger. This chip has the same function as their credit cards and subway cards, allowing them to scan for information just by waving their hand.
Previously, there were only over 100 people who've got their hands chipped. But this number is steadily increasing, reaching 4,000 just recently.
The idea of getting a piece of metal that can be scanned may scare some people, but let's see what it actually does.
This is the hand of one of those who've been chipped. Louise Bak Schou has a chip the size of rice injected in her left hand.
The chips used in these are similar to electronic cards like credit cards. Of course, it has the primary purpose of making life more convenient as you don't have to carry around small keys and cards. But it also comes with privacy concerns.
Jowan Osterlund, who used to work as a body piercer, is the founder of microchipping company Biohax International. He explains, “Having different cards and tokens verifying your identity to a bunch of different systems just doesn’t make sense. Using a chip means that the hyper-connected surroundings that you live in every day can be streamlined,
Another picture post-surgery of chip implants. The procedure costs $180, but there are companies that offer their employees to do this for free.
These NFC chips do not have a GPS tracker, which means that there is no way to track a person's exact location through it. Right now, this technology can only be implemented in wealthy countries by tech-savvy people. Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center's executive director, Urs Gasser, added, "While having a chip may play out nicely for well-educated people in Sweden who are part of a digital hub, I question how this will play out for, say, a worker in a warehouse.”
The chip is not visible, but you can feel it when touched.
The benefits are obvious: in time, this chip alone is sufficient to replace your whole wallet and keys. You can get things done within a single swipe of your hand. On the other hand, people can't steal your wallet anymore if there's no wallet to steal. They will be required to drag you or just your hand, an unlikely situation to develop most of the time. You also can't lose your cards anymore if they're all in the palm of your hand, literally.
Currently, the chips don't have trackers in them. But there are thoughts of adding those things to expand the benefits for dementia patients and prisoners, for example. Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Coventry University, Professor Kevin Warwick, pointed out that in the future, it's a chip that'll keep the public safe.
Implanting process. (TW: surgery, NO BLOOD involved)
But it comes with cons. Just like in those sci-fi movies, there is no guarantee that these chips won't be misused. For years, digital companies are repeatedly reported involved in illegally sharing users' data without consent. While they are currently untrackable, adding GPS feature into them is easy and might be simply a matter of time.
Richard Wordsworth, who researchers human enhancement as well as bioterrorism commented, "Why does this matter for a chip that opens the door to your office? It probably doesn’t. Where it absolutely does matter is in the context of, for example, digital health devices – implants that might be used to monitor patients’ medical conditions or provide regular doses of medication from a built-in drug reservoir.”
It is convenient, but is the risk worth benefits? A picture of the implanted chip under X-ray.
Perhaps, we are merely paranoid. The fact that some of us don't even turn off our GPS as we carry our smartphones around is enough proof. When we update our status on Facebook, uses GPS to order a Uber, etc., we are essentially exposing our data and location to these parties. Our fear appears to be baseless and an overreaction produced by science-fiction movies and books of irresponsible officials that abuse their authorities.
Yet, there is also the fact that unlike smartphones that we can physically leave behind or destroy, one does not simply cut his hand to take out an implanted chip.
Technology is continuously evolving to assimilate with our daily life, making it more convenient than ever. But they are also ethically questionable as people fear things they can't take full control of. This NFC chip is one of them.
Is the risk worth it? Would you cut yourself to stop carrying a wallet in the future?
References:
>>“TRUE: “MICROCHIPS ARE GETTING UNDER THE SKIN OF THOUSANDS IN SWEDEN” EU Fact Check. May 23, 2020.
>>“People Are Getting Microchipped in Sweden, and It’s Pretty Normal.” VICE. Stacey Naggiar. March 5, 2020.
>>“The rise of microchipping: are we ready for technology to get under the skin?” The Guardian. Oscar Schwartz. November 8, 2019.
>>“Thousands Of Swedes Are Inserting Microchips Under Their Skin.” NPR. Maddy Savage. October 22, 2018.
>>“The Pros and Cons of Inserting a Smart Microchip Into Your Own Body.” VICE. Richard Wordsworth, Kevin Warwick. March 7, 2015.
