The Future Of Radio Frequency Identification Technology
As products evolve to satisfy today’s efficiency demands, it can seem to some that our world is shifting towards one that we observe in science fiction. The article, “This firm already microchips employees. Could your ailing relative be next?” from Washington Post mentions Three Square Market, a technology development company, began utilizing subcutaneous radio frequency identification (RFID) microchips in their employees, allowing them to complete daily activities such as opening doors by keeping their hands within a close proximity to a reader. Additionally, the forward-thinking company plans to enhance the microchip’s function for location and medical purposes.
The article mentions healthcare is one of the benefits of subcutaneous RFIDs, as they potentially store medical information and track vitals. This function is supported by various publications, such as TechRepublic, who states “access to real-time health data could be a major improvement for health”. Additionally, almost 30% of users would use the chip for convenience uses, but 44% envision this innovation to enhance the healthcare system. Similar devices such as pacemakers have been important to many for years and this advancement further proves we are continuously trying to monitor our health. Although technology is advancing, we also have to consider if we are doing so safely and ethically. Tracking in some situations may be reasonable but being able to access this function for general purposes creates opportunities for exploitation and privacy violations. Three Square Market’s plan to incorporate a GPS function, can resemble “Google Knows Best, ” in the course content if RFIDs continue to advance in a marketing direction. Google’s extraction strategy may mimic the potential tracing of RFID chips for people’s visits and time spent in various locations to provide content accordingly.
The article mentions in the future that everyone will eventually have to utilize this technology. Technological success is hard to predict as it constantly evolves and further developments create opportunity for risk. In this case, consumer support can be difficult to evaluate. Without a demand, there is no market, and so the driving force to establish this market is developers’ ability to properly inform, research and stabilize this new system.
As of now, RFIDs have more potential in complementing our current healthcare advancements and less in utilizing them for everyday convenience. There is no strong market for subcutaneous RFIDs, mainly due to its current experimentation and security skepticism. Developers must advance with safety considerations to prevent human RFIDs from involvement in unethical practices. For a market to exist, the public needs assurance their information would be safe and there is a clear understanding of privacy rights, especially with the potential of GPS functions. However, subcutaneous RFID development raises the question of if our advancements would impede our lives more than support, given the potential benefits and dangers of these devices.
