Companies start implanting microchips into workers' bodies • Hacker News Board

Re: Companies start implanting microchips into workers' bodies

#61

Post by toomanybeersies » Tue, Apr 04, 2017, 7:12 AM UTC

Fuzzwah wrote: post #56

toomanybeersies wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't see why quoting the bible is any worse than people constantly quoting other dead people. Just think about how often Franklin's "Liberty vs Safety" is quoted here and around the rest of the internet. Or how often people like to compare the world to 1984 or Brave New World.

The most obvious difference: When quoting the bible you're not quoting from the direct source, but a translated and interpreted version. When quoting Franklin it is actually his words.

Albeit misinterpreted words:

https://techcrunch.com/2014/02/14/how-the-world-butchered-be...

Re: Companies start implanting microchips into workers' bodies

#62

Post by ikura » Tue, Apr 04, 2017, 2:28 PM UTC

pilom wrote: post #46

Every single one of the privacy concerns listed are exactly the same as for an ID badge. No one is up in arms about ID badges. If I worked somewhere where they said "you either have to carry your ID badge with you everywhere on campus, or you can get this implant", I'd get the implant. If they offered a ring instead I'd get that though assuming it wasn't hideous.

The difference is you can choose when you wear your ID Badge / ring outside of work hours. The potential to have your location outside of work hours (by having readers secreted in places) is an invasion of privacy. Most likely requires cooperation from the 'other venues' and I'm not sure what their value proposition would be, but my lack of imagination doesn't rule out the possibility of nefarious uses.

Re: Companies start implanting microchips into workers' bodies

#63

Post by killjoywashere » Tue, Apr 04, 2017, 7:29 PM UTC

meesterdude wrote: post #55

killjoywashere wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> microchips bond with your tissue Eh, not really. They stimulate a foreign body reaction from macrophages, creating a synovium-like cyst around the object. > The implications for removal should be obvious You'll end up a granuloma (collection of macrophages), which may calcify or slowly resolve down to collagenous scar tissue. So, I wouldn't lead with the biology, at least not when pitching your concerns to scientis…

I just read a NYT article that some breast implants were linked to causing cancer. So, while I appreciate your analysis of what the expected biological response is, there is still room for things to go wrong too, in ways we never foresaw - or simply neglected. But yes, the privacy and precedent implications of this will far outweigh the medical ones.

The cancer you're talking about, Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL), generally resolves with removal of the implants, though it's a new entity, so we're certainly still learning about it. The odds that breast implants are unique in causing this peculiar biological response seems low, from a basic science perspective.

I thought about mentioning it in my original comment, but it's so rare that it seemed somewhat sensationalist to even bring it up.

Re: Companies start implanting microchips into workers' bodies

#64

Post by conjectures » Tue, Apr 04, 2017, 10:14 PM UTC

derivagral wrote: post #54

conjectures wrote: post #18

Is this worth it? - Health complications, however rare [1], could arise from this. - It sounds like microchips bond with your tissue. The implictations for removal should be obvious. - They'll almost certainly need replacing, either due to failure or the technology becoming redundant. - Far from being cool, early adopters are normalising the idea that employers can tag employees. I'm not OK with this. That's even dis…

>> - People you don't know will be able to scan you for a unique ID, without your consent. I agree with your overall tone, but can't this be done already with facial recognition?

Facial recognition:

- Need unobscured face (crowds).

- Complicated by changes in features and environment.

- Unique IDs are something you ascribe to faces, not something they hand to you on a plate.

- Sophisticated analysis needed.

Example: even Baidu uses custom tricks for their facial recognition office ID with a known database of mugshots. I.e. not an unknown number of people in various conditions.

RFID:

- AFAIK can read many tags at once.

- No need for line of sight.

- Tags hand over a (likely) unique ID on demand

- No need for deep learning experts at $100k>

Seems to me microchips would be far easier to achieve creepy levels of tracking with.

Re: Companies start implanting microchips into workers' bodies

#65

Post by meesterdude » Tue, Apr 04, 2017, 10:44 PM UTC

killjoywashere wrote: post #63

meesterdude wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just read a NYT article that some breast implants were linked to causing cancer. So, while I appreciate your analysis of what the expected biological response is, there is still room for things to go wrong too, in ways we never foresaw - or simply neglected. But yes, the privacy and precedent implications of this will far outweigh the medical ones.

The cancer you're talking about, Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL), generally resolves with removal of the implants, though it's a new entity, so we're certainly still learning about it. The odds that breast implants are unique in causing this peculiar biological response seems low, from a basic science perspective. I thought about mentioning it in my original comment, but it's so ra…

> The odds that breast implants are unique in causing this peculiar biological response seems low, from a basic science perspective.

which is why i mentioned it!

> but it's so rare that it seemed somewhat sensationalist to even bring it up.

fair enough. although there can be a sensationalist reaction to the news as well. I believe only 9 cases were found? I find it's worthwhile for my own expectations of reality, to respect that nothing is a sure thing, and that much comes with a big asterisk next to it.