Just a Grain of Rice

[dcseain]

VeriChip Wants To Test Human Implantable RFID On [US] Military. This information week article indicates that at least one company thinks we should treat military members like pets. I think this is a double plus ungood. What think you?

Thanks to lina.d for pointing this article out to me.

Comments

[fritterfae.livejournal.com]

Wrong on so many levels. When is a human not a human? Never. When do people treat other people as less than human? When they're a resource to be exploited. It's sociopathic behavior in my opinion.

[fallenpegasus]

I really don't see how this is all that different/worse, or "treating like pets", than dogtags, which the military has been using for generations now.

The fact that the military considers it's people "material resources", and tracks and accounts them just like pieces of machinery, is old hat, and is already a part of military culture and dark humor.

RFID chips in troops have the same advantages over dogtags that "chipping" pet dogs/cats/birds/horses has over collar tags.

[dr-tectonic.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Hard to say.

On the one hand, I can definitely see significant value in having a combatant's medical information attached to his person, accessible in the field, whether he's conscious or not -- or even if he's dead. It's not that unlike the dog-tags soldiers are already required to wear. (And in that sense, they're already being treated like pets.)

On the other, it does seem a little creepy on a visceral level. But on the gripping hand, I'm having a hard time pinning down why I feel that way, or how it's different from the other contraints imposed by military service.

What do you find troubling about it?

[peacespear.livejournal.com]

If it was to be used in the way it is supposed to be used, I don't see an issue. Having access to medical records in emergencies, access for only medical professionals who are of good moral standing, a government that wouldn't abuse it's uses nor it's people...

You see where I'm going. Do I trust these organizations to do the right thing and not try and screw anyone and everyone in their way? Not for a sec. But does that make the technology bad? I don't know. Being able to know in an instant if you have diabetes or allergies or what the meds you are on would be a life saver. But the potential for abuse is enormous.

[dragonsea]

The RFID need to be easily removable once the soldier leaves the service. It should also be voluntary. Lastly, it should be on a specialized radio frequency if that's possible.

I think RFID is better in several ways-hold more information, won't get lost, less chance of damage in an explosion, etc. The injuries soldiers survive today are so much more severe than in the past, and the medical intervention, especially in the field, needed to save them is more complicated than in the past, that doctors need to know more than blood type.

Actually, I keep telling my mom that when she gets Alzheimer's, which is highly likely because of family history, we should get her microchipped. Her mother who had Alzheimer's was a wanderer and got lost and confused on several occaisions. My mom sewed her name and our phone number into her clothes and put notes in her purse. An RFID would make it easier to return my mom, and could also have medical info. like blood type and allergies.