III – The Ubiquitous Computer The miniaturization of processors, memory chips and other essential hardware has unlocked numerous possibilities for the potential usage of computers in everyday life. Computers take many forms and, while not always noticeable, have an ever increasing presence in today’s world. Wireless technology is becoming more commonplace, furthering modern computers capabilities and providing us with even more potential uses. The advent of this technology has made it possible for computers to become less noticeable and even function unseen while still receiving and emitting data. An increase in the usage of computers in everyday items has made computers a regular part of society – a fact that has begun fueling privacy concerns. Radio Frequency Identification chips are becoming more common as well. They are small and inexpensive, making them increasingly useful in numerous applications. Certain companies have begun using employee ID badges embedded with RFID chips in order to ascertain the whereabouts of its employee’s. This same technology can be found in several other devices, such as tags for tracking livestock, and in certain retail items in order to prevent theft. The wireless signals and location tracking abilities enabled by RFID chips have made privacy conscious individuals more concerned about the general usage of these chips in everyday products. Some worry that such technology will bring our society closer to a surveillance state, while others
Microchip implant is an exceptionally well thought authentication method that has the possibility of making a huge impact in securing information. The concept of microchip implant was introduced in 1945 by Leon Theremin, who was the originator of one of the first covert devices which is also known as “bugs”. This device is followed by Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology which is a small electronic device that contains a chip. This chips allows the ability to store data typically ranging up to 2,000 bytes or less. RFID is comparable to magnetic strips or bar codes because they all act as a unique identifier for a specific purpose. In order to obtain information from an RFID, you must scan the device just as how a magnetic strip or bar code would require scanning. RFID can also be described as the wireless non-contact use of radio-frequency electromagnetic fields that helps in transferring data with the goal of being able to automatically recognize and monitor tags that are being attached to objects. RFID technology is currently being used by many different industries varying from identifications badges that enclose RFID tags that assist with eliminating the chances of shoplifting, to vehicles using the technology to help monitor the production process and track the vehicles across the assembly line. Other scenarios that may use the microchip implant includes animals having RFID tags placed in them for identification purposes as
As we can see now RFID technology is becoming very popular around the world. However, in my opinion, I would like to say that RFID tags pose a risk to personal privacy. RFID tags easily to be stolen by hackers. They could steal your personal information such as your credit card or your passports. For example, now in some states of the U.S, the government allows the citizen to use RFID passports. However, many citizen still disagree to apply RFID passports because they think it contains many issued such as it is vulnerable to wireless attack by hackers (it can be read up to 30 feet away and copying without permission from the RFID owner). In addition, it is even more dangerous when the RFID passports can contain information that is corresponding to the photo of the RFID tags owner. So just think what will happen if someone hack your passports and what they can do with its information from that RFID passport? Therefore, even RFID tags is becoming popular and can be the next generation technology in the real world, but now, in my opinion, I would like to say that RFID still contains many problem that can harm to personal privacy.
One of the main and most controversial issues with the RFID chip is that it poses as an invasion of privacy (Freeman, 2007). According to Freeman, “security and privacy experts agree any new technology is always one step ahead of their best possible efforts to secure it.
Most people today are aware of the use of car tracking devices to locate lost vehicles. The technology involves a microchip on the vehicle that transmits vehicle location and other data such as speed and loading. Similar technology is in use by conservationists who wish to track specific animals to understand their behavior (Jackson 2016). The conservationists capture the animal and attach a microchip on some part of the creature. When they need to do a comparison after some time, they recapture the animal and download the information therein. On the human front, microchip technology is in use in bank ATM cards, staff identification cards and electronic national identification cards.
As new technology becomes more prevalent in our everyday lives, we have become increasingly comfortable with the lack of privacy associated with this technology.
With the evolution of technology and the internet, there have been upcoming concerns concerning information privacy. The internet has increased the level of information that can be gathered and analyzed. Over the last decade, there have been groundbreaking improvements in technology which have enhanced whet people can d with the technology at any given time. For instance, through the use of the internet, one can use global system positioning system locators to acquire real time data about a person or object’s movement and speed. This was not nearly possible thirty years ago. Another example is that cell phones embedded with E-911 services can be used to locate an individual’s precise location (Waldo, Lin and Millett, 2007). Such devices are mostly used by parents to monitor their children’s whereabouts.
For this policy paper I have chosen Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. RFID is able to provide a lot of advantages in the supply chain management, health care system, government operations. RIFD uses electronic magnetic fields for automatically identifying and tracking the tags attached with the objects. The tags contain electronic information. The RFID devices consist of an antenna which emits a radio signals for activating a tag and read and write the electronic data to those. The technology is able to provide a lot of advantages to the users but there are several ethical considerations associated with the use of this technology. Mostly the ethical issues are associated
Since the beginning of WWII, radio frequency identification has been in use to track everything from nuclear missiles to lost or stolen animals. RFID technology more often known as microchips can be used in people for various reasons from saving lives in a medical emergency to finding lost or stolen people and children. This article looks at the history of the very sophisticated device as well as the transponder’s and the reader’s roles of microchip implants in humans since 1998. It explains the procedure it takes to implant a microchip under the skin and the many uses it can be used for. It briefly explains how microchips work and what to expect for the future when implants will possibly be placed in children, prisoners, employers, the elderly,
When you think of a chip being implanted in your skin, there is a lot of thoughts that comes cross your mind. The idea of that seems very scary an unreal. Who would have ever thought that a device can be implanted in your skin and would be able to give all your health history and other personal information about yourself. This device is called the RFID and its seems to be becoming something that the government is wanting to start implanting the RFID into human. Whether it’s a good idea or not, I don’t know, but today I’m going to go into detail to explain the pros and cons of the, as well as the ethics and legalities of the RFID.
Radio frequency identification, also known as RFID, is a breakthrough in technology and could just be the next big step in surveillance. Yet, how far is one willing to go to be sure that all of their past history is accurate? This sounds a little like George Orwell’s 1984; a chip inserted into one’s skin, embedded with data that can be transferred to a reading device and be read? Someone could be able to know every little thing about another person just by transferring data; sounds a little scary.
RFID is a technology which has made a major impact in the growth of every industry in their respective fields. Healthcare is one of the major users of RFID which has given their industry some reputation amongst others. But this technology is like a double gamer where the benefits of this technology are accompanied by a few issues in violating the privacy too. The threats involved in violating the privacy could be unauthorised access to data, misuse of patient’s information and also having these chips on a patient it could be easy for an unauthorized personal to read the tags since the patients won’t be too sensitive to the radio signals. These threats have violated the privacy rights (Privacyrights.org, 2003). Since these threats started to
RFID technology is not only used at gas stations, restaurants, and department but also at
Just as all other technologies have such difficulties, RFID technology has obstacles to overcome. Two main concerns are discussed in this paper: radio wave technology hindrances such as collisions, and the ethical concerns that entangle this controversial yet extremely helpful technology.
First advancements in RFID technology coupled with decreasing costs have allowed RFID to gain greater prominence and therefore a higher level of adoption. The following are examples of the unique capabilities offered by RFID:
What is ubiquitous computing? An exciting new approach to serving us with technology? Or the environment where the virtuality will became the reality? Let's try to give the definition of ubiquitous computing, its development, including the key people and places influencing its development, and finally some concerns raised by this new approach for putting technology and people together.