Humans ‘will be implanted with microchips’
By Josephine Asher
All Australians could be implanted with microchips for tracking and identification within the next two or three generations, a prominent academic says.
Michael G Michael from the University of Wollongong’s School of Information Systems and Technology, has coined the term “uberveillance” to describe the emerging trend of all-encompassing surveillance.
“Uberveillance is not on the outside looking down, but on the inside looking out through a microchip that is embedded in our bodies,” Dr Michael told ninemsn.
Microchips are commonly implanted into animals to reveal identification details when scanned and similar devices have been used with Alzheimers patients.
US company VeriChip is already using implantable microchips, which store a 16-digit unique identification number, on humans for medical purposes.
“Our focus is on high-risk patients, and our product’s ability to identify them and their medical records in an emergency,” spokesperson Allison Tomek said.
“We do not know when or if someone will develop an implantable microchip with GPS technology, but it is not an application we are pursuing.”
Another form of uberveillance is the use of bracelets worn by dangerous prisoners which use global positioning systems to pinpoint their movements.
But Dr Michael said the technology behind uberveillance would eventually lead to a black box small enough to fit on a tiny microchip and implanted in our bodies.