There has been speculation that on March 23 the health care bill presented by President Barrack Obama will require that Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) chips be inserted into United States citizens who are using public health care. This is to be done in an attempt to prevent illegal immigrants from being hired in the United States. However, these chips will become an infringement on personal privacy. Not only would citizens be in danger of their personal information being hacked, but this would also be a safety hazard. Additionally, this new technology would be a large financial inconvenience to employers.
RFID chips are designed to make regulation of U.S. citizens easier for the government by keeping personal information in the form of chips instead of individual papers. This new system of tracking by the U.S. government disregards the personal liberties of its citizens. Harsh consequences such as imprisonment may be administered to those who refuse to adhere to this law, much more reminiscent of an authoritarian government rather than a republic. In other industries in which this technology is currently used, there is a high risk that the information from these chips can be hacked. Through the RFID chip, potential hackers would have information about a victim’s social security, passport and other personal information.
There is also a large chance that RFID chips will put people’s personal safety at risk. Keeping personal information in the body may result in violent identity theft. Additionally, failure of proper insertion and negative reactions in the body pose as health risks.
“There is an immune system response to anything foreign in the body,” said Honors Biology teacher Nancy Jobsz. “[The chips] could potentially cause a build up of scar tissue in the body.”
Providing this technology to all U.S. employees in the public health care system is both time consuming and costly to all involved. According to www.wired.com, if this bill is put into effect, the market for RFID chips will increase from $2.7 million to possibly $26 million by 2016. The funds will need to be provided by employers and the government.
While this may help keep illegal immigrants out of the work force, the negative consequences outweigh the benefits. After a few years, hackers will have access to the information on these chips, making the high costs even more unnecessary. For the sake of safety and security for U.S. citizens, hopefully the installation of RFID chips is simply a myth.
