Watch Out, Lest You Get E-tagged

A US-based surveillance provider has had two of its employees implanted with glass-encapsulated rice grain-sized microchips with miniature antennas embedded in their forearms. They say they need to safeguard access to vaults with sensitive information, and the chip implants serve as biometric entry and exit clearance codes as well as help employers track employee movements in secure/insecure areas. Tracking movement with bio-chips is nothing new. Biologists and wildlife experts have used the technology to follow animal migration and behaviour. Supporters of this technology for everyday application among people argue that it would help track down lost or kidnapped children, Alzheimer's patients who forget where they are, locate missing soldiers, and serve as effective surveillance tools. The thought is alarming. What this means is that when spy-tech biochips become a popular tool in hospitals, remand homes, military and other areas, the device and its use could become as ubiquitous as the mobile phone. There would be no getting away from Big Brother squatting inside you. The intruder in your life - the despoiler of your private space - could be your employer, insurance company, spouse or companion.