RFID chip

[FedererFan]

Is it unethical for us all to have a mandatory social security number by law?

Is it unethical that we all must have a birth certificate?

Is it unethical that we must have our houses registered by the government?

Is it unethical that we must have a drivers license with complete photo in order to operate machinery?


I would gladly welcome mandatory chips if they can become much more secure as a technology.

None of your examples require an alteration of your own body. It would certainly be unethical for the government to force you to have this. The fact that it would be impracticable to live in society without it if it gets to that point doesn't make it okay for the government to force people to have one.

Also, two of your examples aren't "required." You don't have to have a SNN or "register your house."

 

[MostRadicalManEver]

Ethical?

This guy is using it as a key. Don't see a problem there with ethics. Unless a key is somehow unethical.

If someone is forced to implant one for ID purposes, then that is a result of coercion and therefore unethical.

 

[mpok1519]

the RFID chip itself isnt unethical; its just a device.

forcing one to install one, however, would be unethical, as it jeopardizes autonomous privacy.

 

[morningstar2651]

It's more insecure than unethical.

YouTube - How to hack RFID-enabled Credit Cards for $8 (BBtv)

 

[Silent Bob]

Here is a scenario Orwell would be proud of.

RFID chips get better over time untill they are cheap, easy to use and safe.
They start being used as alternatives to credit cards, PINs and in a volunteering level as legal ID methods like passport and ID.
As they grow in popularity their applications grow as well. An RFID can be used by stores to identify returning customers, your car house and phone unlocks/locks depending on your distance.
Soon banks start using them for security reasons (they already take photos of you entering) then government services and buildings untill the detector technology is built in security cameras and other "public safety" measures.
Thats where the plot thickens.

The potential for abuse comes from the change in format. Now as we know "a picture is worth a thousand words" if a word is 16-bits that is close to 2KB, well not really but can you see where I am going? To process and store information from cameras in order to use them for large scale surveillance is right now too computationally expensive. But if you substitute a jpg frame for a 20-digit number, coordinates and a time stamp its not that expensive. Given a good and large enough database large numbers of people can be tracked. Remember the Brits wanting to use your facebook friendslist to map the social networks of criminals? How about they can now use your actual social network. And of course all the inteligence people don't really care about you meeting with "two-smokes" Tony to buy weed on a Friday night, but I guess they would be interested to know that you spend 2 hours every Saturday in the same coffee house that three other people frequent who each have read at least two Chomsky books and the Communist manifesto (thank you Borders for that, they are also big mocca fans.) Now if we only had a way to listen to what you were... oh wait we do its the mobile phone!

I am not saying this will happen. I don't trust any government but I think the most likely scenario that will come out is you will park your car and be bombarded by SMSes from shops and restaurants in that area cause as we all know there is nothing more evil than marketing people. All I am trying to do is give the little dictator in all of us some food for thought.

 

[morningstar2651]

RFID won't get better, it will get worse. The greatest security feature right now is how close an RFID scanner has to be to a tag to scan it...and developers of the scanner want it to be able to scan from greater distances.

Faking passport RFID chips for $120 - Ars Technica

RFID would be a stupid move for the government to make. It's cheap to hack and become somebody new.

 

[mpok1519]

yeah, it doesnt seem like the rfid thing is very profitable anyway.

our govt would never go for such a thing.

barcodes will have to continue to be the original mark of the beast. lol

 

[Chazemataz]

I can't wait for all the emails from elderly relatives if this ever becomes a reality.

FWD:FWD:FWD: A MUST READ! MARK OF THE BEAST 666 CHIP

 

[IzzyPop]

I do believe that it is a law that anybody born within the US must get a social security number along with the birth certificate...

And you would be wrong. The hospital will give you the form to fill out to get your child a SSN, but it is not required.

And if you wish to live in the US as a permanent resident (and later become a citizen) you are required to get a social security number.

So while there may not be a law per say that says you have to have a social security number, you cannot end up legally living within the US without getting one when you move in.

That may be, but I think you are mistaken on this one as well. In lieu of a SSN they can have a registered tax ID number. Same thing, pretty much, but less utilitarian.

 

[explodingboy]

YouTube - Cyborg Life: Kevin Warwick