RFID Chip Implants and Ethical Issues

MSc
Informatio
n Systems
Manageme
ntIMAT5262 Research,
Ethics & Professionalism
in Computing
Pxxxxxxxx
De Montfort University
Assignment - Project Proposal
RFIDs chip implants and their
related ethical issues

P Number: Pxxxxxxxx IMAT5262 Research, Ethics &
Professionalism in Computing
Abstract
The recent technological advancement has seen the RFID tags implantations
expanding their role from industrial tagging applications to being embedded and
implantable in humans. With the vast possibilities of RFID technology and its future
human centric applications, potential ethical issues arise in various related areas,
which mostly includes human rights and data protection legislations. Many research
studies in the recent past have identified potential issues in the possible application
of implantable human centric RFID chips in various fields. Over the recent past as
the popularity of the technology started to grow specifically for the commercial
applications, potential concerns are being expressed regarding the health and safety
of human centric RFID chip implantations. The RFID chip is also familiar with the
name ‘RFID tag’, which stores important information about the person on whom it is
embedded or chipped. Four major areas were addressed in this regard such as
migration, carcinogenicity, the effects on the pharmaceutical effectiveness and the
interactions with the MRI signals.
Key Words
RFID tags, human centric RFID implantations, implantable RFID chips, chip
implants, embedded microchips
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P Number: Pxxxxxxxx IMAT5262 Research, Ethics &
Professionalism in Computing
Contents
1. Background..........................................................................................................4
2. Research questions.............................................................................................4
3. Literature Review.................................................................................................4
3.1 The next big technology......................................................................................4
3.2 Ethical considerations for RFID chip implantations............................................5
3.3 Basic components of human centric implantable RFID chips............................6
4. Methodology Review...........................................................................................7
4.1 Interviews............................................................................................................7
4.2 Questionnaires....................................................................................................8
4.3 Surveys................................................................................................................8
4.4 Focus Groups......................................................................................................8
4.5 Case Studies.......................................................................................................9
4.6 Chosen Methodologies.....................................................................................10
4.6.1 Interview......................................................................................................10
4.6.2 Survey.........................................................................................................10
5. Conclusion..........................................................................................................11
6. Project Plan........................................................................................................11
7. Ethical Issues.....................................................................................................11
8. Consent Form.....................................................................................................11
9. Pilot interview questions...................................................................................11
10. Pilot survey questions and design...............................................................12
11. References......................................................................................................13
12. Appendices.....................................................................................................16
12.1 Appendix A......................................................................................................16
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P Number: Pxxxxxxxx IMAT5262 Research, Ethics &
Professionalism in Computing
12.2 Appendix B........................................................................................................0
12.3 Appendix C........................................................................................................5
12.4 Appendix D........................................................................................................8
12.5 Appendix E........................................................................................................9
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P Number: Pxxxxxxxx IMAT5262 Research, Ethics &
Professionalism in Computing
1. Background
The use of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is increasing and we are already in
the path of using implantable RFID chips in humans. According to Ito, Takahashi and
Saito (2016), the amount of benefits from these implantable RFID chips will be
numerous and undeniable. These implantable RFID chips are potentially durable
with an approximate size of a grain of rice. However, these chips are potentially
capable of holding adequate information about several aspects of a human being,
including his identity, health, physiological character, and nationality as well as
security clearances. These RFID chips are embedded in a person’s body, which in
turn enables them to do a lot of work (Sarwar et al. 2018). For instance, the proximity
of the hand of a person can potentially unlock his or her front door, start his or her
car or even inform their emergency physicians about certain specific health
conditions of the patient. These implanted chips oh human contains all the
information about the person on which it is embedded and are always with that
person.
However, there is a potentially darker side of this advanced technology of
implantable RFID chips. In this context, Heffernan, Vetere and Chang (2017) has
suggested that this particular technology is capable of violating the privacy and
bodily integrity of the human beings on whom the RFID chip is implanted. Voas and
Kshetri (2017) says there should be much concern and awareness about whether a
human being would want to implant a foreign object in his or her arm only to do a job
or let physicians know about their health conditions. To be more precise, Tabasum et
al. (2018) suggested that, with the implantation of RFID chips in employees,
employers are now able to track whenever they leave office.
2. Research questions
What are the potential use of implantable RFID chips?
What are the ethical implications of human centric RFID chip implants?
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P Number: Pxxxxxxxx IMAT5262 Research, Ethics &
Professionalism in Computing
3. Literature Review
3.1 The next big technology
The amount of attention on the future scope and opportunities of human RFID chip
implants is rapidly growing along with the technological innovation of human centric
nanotechnology applications. Prior to 2004, FDA (Food and Drug Administration)
granted Applied Digital Solutions in the US where the injecting medical patients with
a microchip was permitted (Mayer et al., 2017). According to Jebali, Beldi and
Gharsallah (2016), there have been and will be potential scepticism associated with
growing acceptance of RFID microchip implantations under the skin of humans.
Latupeirissa et al. (2018) had predicted that this ability to collect medical data
through GPS would soon turn into a commercial reality. According to a study in the
past, a particular employer in the US had implanted RFID microchips onto its three
employers for access control purposes in the year of 2005. Similarly, Kiourti (2018)
had said that this might become a common practice in the workplace to planted
microchips onto the employees. According to Xiao et al. (2015), it became evident
and clear that employees are now asked to sport implantable RFID chips embedded
onto their bodies for ultimate security and access control applications.
According to Rodriguez (2015), the extent of RFID chip implantations in human
across different applications vary worldwide even if there are no systematic record.
Chips are not always implanted for work related applications. However, a recent
record found that a large number of staff in an US office were chipped in support for
an access control system of a specific department (Mayer et al. 2017). However,
there are potential ethical as well as legal issues regarding the use of RFID chips in
human bodies, most of which are derived from human rights and data protection
legislations.
3.2 Ethical considerations for RFID chip implantations
Significant ethical concerns are gradually stemming, which are mostly related to the
inviolability of the human body and the human dignity. Apart from that, Islam et al.
(2015) has suggested that potential ethical issues relate to the human safety and
health concerns. Lai, Chan and Singh (2016) has loudly questioned the efficacy of
the RFID implantable technology as a secure system along with the choice and
equity as well as the religious concerns (legal issues). Over the recent past as the
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