Doctors could soon be storing essential medical information under the skin of their patients, the American Medical Association says
Devices the size of a grain of rice that are implanted with a needle could give emergency room doctors quick access to the records of chronically ill patients, the nation’s largest doctors group said in a report.
The association adopted a policy Monday stating that the devices can improve the “safety and efficiency of patient care” by helping to identify patients and enabling secure access to clinical information.
In one respect, the idea makes a tremendous amount of sense. Would probably save lives. But let’s extrapolate this out:
If these RFID tags can contain medical information - why couldn’t they contain, say, personal identification info? No need to carry a driver’s license; just have the cop scan your wrist, or wherever the device is implanted.
Your criminal history could be encoded on such a device, right? Virtually any personal information could be included. Think of the fiscal convenience! No need to write a check or use an ATM card, just scan your wrist. All your account information, checking, savings, whatsoever, instantly accessible. A quick scan deducts the cost of your purchase from your balance.
It all sounds like something from “The Net,” and it is. This is the stuff of dystopian science fiction. The AMA at least recognizes that potential:
The association warned of “potential social consequences” such as using the devices for surveillance which could be an infringement on individual liberties.
Dick Cheney’s fondest dream, I’d say.
