A
headline
from
The
Hill
in
January
2023
proclaimed
“Human
microchip
implants
take
center
stage.”
Here’s
how
that
article
begins:
“The
novelty
of
replacing
one’s
‘home
key’
with
a
microchip
implant
is
gaining
worldwide
interest,
but
there’s
another
more
compelling
story
under
the
surface.
Why
is
this
technology
—
an
integrated
circuit
the
size
of
a
grain
of
rice
—
reviled
by
some
and
celebrated
by
self-proclaimed
human
cyborgs?
“Arguably,
William
Shakespeare’s Hamlet
offers
the
most
elegant
explanation:
‘Nothing
is
neither
good
nor
bad,
but
thinking
makes
it
so.’
However,
it
would
be
prudent
to
tell
Prince
Hamlet
that
not
all
microchip
implants
are
designed
alike,
and
understanding
the
technological
design
enables
one
to
better
evaluate
the
competing
viewpoints.
Today,
more
than
50,000
people
have
elected
to
have
a
subdermal
chip
surgically
inserted
between
the
thumb
and
index
finger,
serve
as
their
new
swipe
key,
or
credit
card.
In
Germany,
for
example,
more
than
2,000
Germans
have
opted
to
receive
these
implants;
one
man
even
used
it
to
store
a
link
to
his
last
will
and
testament.
As
chip
storage
capacity
increases,
perhaps
users
could
even
link
to
the
complete
works
of
Shakespeare.”
The
article
goes
on
to
provide
an
update
of
many
advances
and
concerns
in
the
practice
of
inserting
microchips
into
humans,
and
this
blog
is
referenced
several
times.
Indeed,
I
have
written
about
microchip
implants
from
a
cybersecurity
and
privacy
perspective
three
times
before,
and
it
is
clear
to
me
that
inquiring
minds
still
want
to
know:
What
is
the
future
of
microchip
implants?
Why
do
I
say
that
with
confidence?
Because
blogs
on
this
topic
of
microchip
implants
still
receive
very
high
page
views
and
lots
of
interest
from
global
readers.
For
your
reference,
here
are
those
three
blogs:
MICROCHIP
IMPLANT
STORIES
FROM
THE
PAST
YEAR
Back
in
March
of
last
year,
Wired
magazine
offered
this
video
on
“The
Science
Behind
Elon
Musk’s
Neuralink
Brain
Chip”:
And
in
April
2022,
the
BBC
published
this
story
on
microchip
implants
that
let
you
pay
with
your
hand.
Here’s
an
excerpt:
“Patrick
Paumen
causes
a
stir
whenever
he
pays
for
something
in
a
shop
or
restaurant.
“This
is
because
the
37-year-old
doesn’t
need
to
use
a
bank
card
or
his
mobile
phone
to
pay.
Instead,
he
simply
places
his
left
hand
near
the
contactless
card
reader,
and
the
payment
goes
through.
“‘The
reactions
I
get
from
cashiers
are
priceless!’
says
Mr.
Paumen,
a
security
guard
from
the
Netherlands.
“He
is
able
to
pay
using
his
hand
because
back
in
2019
he
had
a
contactless
payment
microchip
injected
under
his
skin.”
But
last
December,
another
article
asked
if
microchip
implants
in
the
human
brain
are
still
too
dangerous.
The
article
does
a
great
job
in
covering
the
many
benefits
and
drawbacks
of
the
microchip
implants,
from
curing
diseases
to
complications
in
getting
Food
and
Drug
Administration
(FDA)
approval.
Meanwhile,
many
state
governments
are
passing
laws
to
prevent
forced
microchip
implants
on
employees
and
others.
For
example,
Wyoming
just
passed
such
a
bill.
According
The
Hill,
“to
date,
at
least
10
state
legislatures
in
the
United
States
have
passed
statutes
to
ban
employers
from
requiring
employees
to
receive
human
microchip
implants.”
FINAL
THOUGHTS
Back
in
2018,
I
listed
a
number
of
key
questions
that
I
think
need
to
be
answered
as
this
human
chip
implant
practice
moves
forward.
I
still
think
these
are
the
right
questions
(and
some
are
starting
to
get
answered):
-
What
are
the
benefits
of
implanting
the
chip(s)? -
Is
implanting
chips
physically
and
emotionally
safe? -
Who
owns
the
data
on
the
chip? -
Who
has
access
to
the
data
—
and
when? -
Do
the
chips
communicate,
somehow,
with
outside
networks? -
How
are
chips
updated
when
flaws
are
found? -
Can
the
chips
be
hacked?
Assuming
yes,
what
security
is
in
place
to
stop
unauthorized
access
to
data
and
manipulation
of
data? -
Do
religious
beliefs
forbid
the
practice? -
Is
implanting
the
microchip
truly
voluntary?
Will
it
still
be
voluntary
tomorrow
or
in
10
or
20
years? -
Is
the
practice
medically
necessary? -
Are
incentives
offered
to
those
who
participate? -
Are
penalties
coming
for
those
who
don’t
participate? -
Will
being
chipped
start
as
an
exception
and
become
the
rule? -
Will
ethical
and
moral
processes
and
procedures
be
breached
by
hackers?
(No
way
to
stop
the
bad
actors
once
you
begin.) -
What
laws
are
put
in
place
on
this
implanted
chip
topic? -
What
company
policies
are
affected?
On
a
wider
scale,
since
the
Internet
is
an
accelerator
for
good
and
evil
at
the
same
time,
what
good
or
evil
outcomes
will
we
see
from
this
implanted
chip
trend?
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