RFID chips in humans, "bio-hacking" or government surveillance tool?

SFBU Professor Ahmed Banafa, in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, outlines the risks and benefits of implanted microchips

FREMONT, Calif., Nov. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Robocop, Star Wars, and Iron Man are all blockbuster examples of humans enhancing themselves through mechanical means. In reality, the application of the same principles is happening now through RFID (radio-frequency identification) chips in humans. These chips are incredibly small – about the size of a grain of rice – and can store information such as medical records or access to buildings and devices.

Professor Ahmed Banafa, an engineering professor at San Francisco Bay University, recently wrote a paper on the topic in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

Professor Banafa states, “At first glance, such consumer technology looks like a harmless whim, or the next logical step among those who favor piercings, or the supposed ultimate in convenience. But inserting identification microchips in humans would also seem to bear the seeds of a particularly intrusive form of surveillance, at a time when authorities in some parts of the world have been forcibly collecting DNA and other biological data – including blood samples, fingerprints, voice recordings, iris scans, and other unique identifiers – from all their citizens.”

Professor Banafa teaches not only the technical side of human enhancement but also discusses the ethics and, ultimately, the why with his students. It’s important to understand all of the implications of microchip implants, their humanity-changing benefits, and the potentially disastrous consequences.

For more information about the topic or to interview San Francisco Bay University engineering Professor Banafa, please contact pr@sfbu.edu.

SFBU is a premier WASC/WSCUC-accredited, nonprofit university located in the San Francisco Bay Area/Silicon Valley. SFBU offers degree programs in computer science, engineering, technology, and management. Learn more at www.SFBU.edu.

Contact:

SFBU Communications

pr@sfbu.edu

(510) 803-7328

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SOURCE San Francisco Bay University