Small Government-Issued Tracking Chips

[NOS2006]

My mom and I got into this conversation the other day. If the US Government created the law that all US citizens would from today forward need a very small tracking chip placed harmlessly inside their bodies for tracking, security, and/or citizenship purposes, would you be for or against it?

I would be for it. This may make people want to not commit crimes because it would be more difficult for them to escape being caught (GPS). Also, what if you only had to scan your arm to prove citizenship? There are many things that I think are good about this.

I honestly don't think this would take away from people's freedom. You won't be videotaped or anything. You'll be shown as a dot on a grid, and you'll have basic information listed in the system. I much rather have a chip in my arm than a Social Security card that can get lost, ripped, burned, and saturated but can't be laminated.

What do you guys think?

[Intrepidation]

I'll post this again.

Advantages and disadvantages to this. There's the advantages you stated, but there' the loss of freedom you get from this. You go from being a person to being nothing more than an object that can be scanned at will...like food at the store. You have no sense of privacy. It's dehumanizing.

[CSpec]

Are you out of your mind? No way!

[FAPTurbo]

My religion regards such a thing as a 'mark of the beast.'

No way.

[Flybrian]

There is absolutely no advantage to this. The exception being certain preversions of society like child rapists and sexual offenders.

[Chris_Doane]

LoL oh wow I think you have a lot to learn if you think that's a good idea.

[NOS2006]

I don't understand the downfalls. I doubt you'd be able to be tracked by any random person; only the government. And the government wouldn't necessarily track you unless they had a reason to. I've got nothing to hide; I've commit no crime.

[deftonesfan867]

My religion regards such a thing as a 'mark of the beast.'

No way.

Same here.

[FAPTurbo]

Have you read the book '1984' by George Orwell? Chances are, on this thread, people will make reference to this book or use phrases that were coined by it. It's a very good book that should be required reading, because it is relevent to everybody in an organized society.

[deftonesfan867]

I haven't, sounds like i'm going to have to take a trip to the barnes & nobles downtown and pick it up.

[wpbharry]

I don't see what all the fussy wussy is about. I have to wear one around my ankle. Stupid district attorney and even stupider teen boys. They didnt complain that night. Oh well.

I left my mark on my spy guy.

[CSpec]

I don't understand the downfalls. I doubt you'd be able to be tracked by any random person; only the government. And the government wouldn't necessarily track you unless they had a reason to. I've got nothing to hide; I've commit no crime.

If you want to voluntarily wear such a chip, go ahead.

[Chris_Doane]

I don't understand the downfalls. I doubt you'd be able to be tracked by any random person; only the government. And the government wouldn't necessarily track you unless they had a reason to. I've got nothing to hide; I've commit no crime.

Um...wow. I would advise you stop talking on the subject at this point.

I mean....have you watched the news at all the past 5 years?

[Camino LS6]

The day this happens, I renounce my citizenship and join the resistance.

[Robert Hall]

I'm against it, but I'm sure the Republicans would love something like this..the uses for it are endless.

[N0S2OO6]

I want the chip for my boyfriend so I can see where he is all the time.

[Intrepidation]

If it happens, I'm moving to .

I 2nd that!

[FAPTurbo]

If it happens, I'm moving to .

I 2nd that!

Whoa, really! You two would double our population!

We're years upon years from even developing computer technology up here. Why, we just got this thing called a 'toaster!' You put bread in and one metric minute later, we get toast!

We still cannot figure out where the bread goes...

[Robert Hall]

Whoa, really! You two would double our population!

We're years upon years from even developing computer technology up here. Why, we just got this thing called a 'toaster!' You put bread in and one metric minute later, we get toast!

We still cannot figure out where the bread goes...

Heh-heh..the Canadian programmers I work with all are still doing PowerBuilder... they all went to the U. of Regina (except for one guy that went to McGill).

[Cory Wolfe]

Heh... Wow... Odd. My opinion? No f@#king way.

[DetroitNut90]

I'd only be for this in the case of tracking sex offenders or other violent criminals, like Fly stated earlier. Aside from that...no thank you, I'd like to keep myself free of nanochips.

[CARBIZ]

I'd like to believe in a benevolent government, but as long as humans are involved I am not holding my breath! I have been on the short end of the stick with the government and the law too many times to trust them to do anything right. Paranoid? YOu bet! I can see a lot of advantages to this technology (locating lost children, errant spouses, misplaced cadavers), but it is too open to abuse.

Sadly, this technology is inevitable, IMO. There are too many crazies out there that want to kill innocent people and if being able to track everyone is the only way to stop crazy people from doing that, then it will happen. The public, goaded by a well organized PR campaign, will demand it.

[Northstar]

NOS, you have been smoking some pretty good stuff lately, I think. Do you realize if someone was running from the cops that they would just find a way to remove it from their arm?

Plus, there are plenty of people who are tech-savvy enough (hackers) that they would steal identities like it was nothing, or have some card in their arm that was programmable so that they could be whoever they wanted to be on any given day.

[american_revolution_2005]

I see why NOS has a point. This could be an advantage in a way for finding people involved in kidnappings but I would be against it. It probably would be an invasion of privacy in some ways. They could also find any more missing babies involved in Intrepid sales!!!! Thanks Canada probably wouldn't do this. The Governor General is too busy remodeling her kitchen and taking 50 or so friends on world trips to even consider this.

[Oracle of Delphi]

Make my chip number, 666! Muuuuuuuhahahahahahahaha

[Northstar]

Ok NOS, I thought of a good reason to not implement your idea, and I think you'll agree:

What if these chips told the government your age and your BAC, so you could never drink underage?

[NOS2006]

Plus, there are plenty of people who are tech-savvy enough (hackers) that they would steal identities like it was nothing, or have some card in their arm that was programmable so that they could be whoever they wanted to be on any given day.

Yeah, that’s something I never thought of, stolen identification made easy.

Ok NOS, I thought of a good reason to not implement your idea, and I think you'll agree:

What if these chips told the government your age and your BAC, so you could never drink underage?

Wow, never thought of it that way. That’s a damn good point. Oh, and it’s not my idea, my mom brought it up (she heard this somewhere a few years ago or something) and got all pissy that I didn’t think of it as a terrible idea.

[Dragon]

my passport has proved to be a fine tool for proving my citizenship, so no.

Well, that and I'm a Canadian, so I wouldn't let the US government do anything to my body

[regfootball]

not really liking the idea but i admit if someone stole my little girl, it would be nice to have some way of tracking where she is at to go find her.

[CARBIZ]

Dragon, I wouldn't get too cocky - our government loves to poke and pry into people's lives. Canada is always in the forefront of ramming government agendas down people's throats: seatbelt laws, anti-smoke provisions, banning approved pesticides, Kyoto, I could go on, but I need a joint.................

[Dragon]

Carbiz, as I said in another thread, I have no doot aboot it that our gov loves to poke and pry, and if they tryed to do the same thing I'd totally be against it.

On the flip side, thought they try to push things like anti-smoking,kyoto on us, I find our gov in general and our Supreme court as well tend to tread VERY carefully when it comes to privacy like that, ie. the SC recently overturned the governments rules regarding security certificates becuase the felt it was too intrusive

have a puff for me...stupid work

Edited March 14, 2007 by Dragon

[FAPTurbo]

I have a feeling that North America wouldn't be too receptive to these 'chips' anyway. It goes against religion, and it goes against moral ethics.

Where I do see this happening would be in Asia, in likely Japan, Korea and China. The Japanese and Koreans are very receptive to technology, and I'd bet money that these chips would be 'in vogue.' Some possibilities would be that cell phones could sync to this chip, and if the owner is strays from the phone, it could emit an alarm. Laptop computers could connect to this chip as a password tool, or providing the chip has ample memory, could send private documents into the chip to make sure there is lower chance of theft or loss.

China's government will probably like the low cost and convenience of being able to electronically keep records of the popualtion, and even say, monitor certain 'citizens' whereabouts with RFID technology.

[deftonesfan867]

I have a feeling that North America wouldn't be too receptive to these 'chips' anyway. It goes against religion, and it goes against moral ethics.

Where I do see this happening would be in Asia, in likely Japan, Korea and China. The Japanese and Koreans are very receptive to technology, and I'd bet money that these chips would be 'in vogue.' Some possibilities would be that cell phones could sync to this chip, and if the owner is strays from the phone, it could emit an alarm. Laptop computers could connect to this chip as a password tool, or providing the chip has ample memory, could send private documents into the chip to make sure there is lower chance of theft or loss.

China's government will probably like the low cost and convenience of being able to electronically keep records of the popualtion, and even say, monitor certain 'citizens' whereabouts with RFID technology.

I agree 100%.

[AM6_Cutlass]

No way... not that I have any bad intents, but one can never know if they will be in a situation where they would want to hide out for a reason. Plus, way too many oppurtunities for abuse, just look at the recent news about the patriot act.

[MyerShift]

I would be for it. This may make people want to not commit crimes because it would be more difficult for them to escape being caught (GPS). Also, what if you only had to scan your arm to prove citizenship? There are many things that I think are good about this.

Precisely why I would be against it. It just paranoia over the things that one is unable to control and making every attempt possible to do so and fail.

Things are made illegal by the government, and people will still do them.

Such an item would be nothing more than a nuisance and truly an invasion of privacy because it is NO ONE'S business as to where I may be at any point in time, let alone a chip featuring a "body chemical sensor" that could alert the authorities and then they to come get you.

You're getting rather Ayn Rand/Lois Lawry here. No good could come to the general masses through this.

[Camino LS6]

So, did you pick up that copy of 1984 yet, NOS? :AH-HA_wink:

[NOS2006]

So, did you pick up that copy of 1984 yet, NOS? :AH-HA_wink:

Nah, not yet. Maybe I'll just check out the online cliffnotes.