Invasion of Privacy

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Invasion of Privacy

Introduction

“Relying on the government to protect your privacy is like asking a peeping Tom to install your windows blinds.” John Perry Barlow quotes (Mason 11). Invasion of privacy can be explained as intrusion of a person’s private life by another individual without any cause or definite reason. Over the years, technology has grown, and the human race has been highly dependent on technology. The situation has reached a critical point whereby, when anything threatens the comfort, which people seek in technology. They tend to take drastic and extra measures to prohibit prolonged interruptions. Despite the usefulness of technology, individuals, institutions and governments have taken advantage of technology to commit privacy invading crimes, which some of the crimes cause health complications on the human race. Micro chipping human beings is unconstitutional, causes medical complications, and violates an individual’s privacy.

Discussion

Micro chipping on the human race has brought a public out cry, condemning the practice since the technology may be misused and is filled with a lot of controversy. Despite the controversy surrounding this issue, there is still development and growth of the industry without the serious discussion needed to address this issue on how it shall affect the humans either negatively or positively. Micro chipping on human beings on an experimental basis is an international human rights violation. On one instance at the U.S, a company known as VeriChip violated the human rights by implanting chips in hundreds of patients at Alzheimer institution. This raises many questions about the consent of the patients. Arguably, the patients were not competent enough to give precise consent points, hence a potential rights violation by VeriChip Company as required under the Nuremberg code. There has also been advanced micro chipping where and individuals DNA alteration is possible. This is done by DNA fusion and RFID technology that is in the microchip, creating the addition of peril hence the possible DNA alteration. The companies do not have limits since there are no definite restrictions governing this field. Unfortunately, both of the two arms of governance, congress and judiciary have not given precise guidelines for the protection of both civil and human rights. (Mason 28)

There are many secrets surrounding the micro chipping technology, mainly due to the health risks it may cause on the human beings. Such lapses deny people of any legal justice. The courts have dismissed any suits and plaintiffs concerning this matter on strange grounds that patients may be suffering from delusion. In other situations where some companies have been given the legal go ahead for micro chipping implantation, in case of any health complications that may have come up from the procedure, the courts insist that the plaintiff removes the implantation. This becomes a problem to the plaintiff since many of the hospital institutions fear the possibility of being recriminated by the government. Moreover, none of the medical institutions has adequately addressed any of the complex issues that surround this matter. Congress has also remained silent on the issue of coerced micro chipping despite the fact that many states have banned the practice. For any successful and comprehensive strategy of addressing the micro chipping issue, the society must insist the participation of the three arms of government and have it to acknowledge that there may be the possibility of misuse of the technology. Uninformed microchip implantation or any coercion is a clear example, and this clearly infringes the human rights and privacy invasion policies.

There exist many health problems pertaining to this new technology. According to a research carried, after ten years of study, VeriChip implantations were linked to the development of malignant tumors on the test subjects (Mason 32). The associated lab report showed that, in the lab mice used as test subjects there was the development of subcutaneous sarcomas that surrounded the implants that had earlier been placed. In addition, a case of cancer developed in a pet dog implanted with the microchip. Dr Robert Benezra, the head of the Cancer Biology Genetics Program at New York’s Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center with other doctors advised against the implantations, quoting that they would not allow their family members to get micro chipped (Mason 38). Among other health concerns that surround the microchips is their removal. Once a person gets an injectable microchip, it is almost impossible for the doctors to locate the microchip. Removal may require the use of x-rays and monitors. In extreme cases, a patient may under go plastic surgery. It is reported in the issue of gene therapy; at least one human death has been reported.
Conclusion

Micro chipping in humans poses great risks to the human health through its pre-determined advantages. It is also illegal and unconstitutional to microchip a person without their consent or full understanding of the technology, and it goes against all the policies set against privacy invasion. Clearly the human race lack experience in this field hence there should be caution taken to avoid health issues arising from the implantations such as mutation. Therefore, good regulations and laws that will govern this technology are needed. Moreover, more researches should be carried out to get a better understanding of the microchips.

Reference

Gena. V. Mason. “The Microchipping of America: Human Rights Implications of Human Bar Codes.”  http://works.bepress.com/gena_mason/1/. 2009. ExpressO. Web. June 6 2013. <http://works.bepress.com/gena_mason/1>

Matifa Angaza. “Charge of Holocaust: Medical Experiment on Black Inmate.” The city sun Newspaper. Web. June 6 2013. <http://www.raven1.net/wronge2.htm>

Silver, Lee M. Remaking Eden: How Genetic Engineering and Cloning Will Transform the American Family. New York: Avon Books, 1998. Print.

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