Human barcoding debate rekindled

Barcodes and microchips could be found on nearly everything these days, but could humans be next? Daily Mail writes.

American science fiction author Elizabeth Moon raised a few eyebrows last week when she revived the debate about whether it could be beneficial to place barcodes on babies at birth during an interview on a BBC radio programme.

“I would insist on every individual having a unique ID permanently attached - a barcode if you will - an implanted chip to provide an easy, fast, inexpensive way to identify individuals,” she said on a weekly show, called The Forum.

Moon believes the tools most commonly used for surveillance and identification - like video cameras and DNA testing - are slow, costly and often ineffective, Daily News states.

In her opinion, human barcoding would save a lot of time and money. The proposal isn't too far-fetched - it is already technically possible to 'barcode' a human - but does it violate our rights to privacy?

Opponents argue that giving up anonymity would cultivate an 'Orwellian' society where all citizens can be tracked.

“To have a record of everywhere you go and everything you do would be a frightening thing,” News Track India quotes Jay Stanley, senior policy analyst at the American Civil Liberties Union, as saying.

He warns of a 'checkpoint society' where everyone carries an internal passport and has to show their papers at every turn.

“Once we let the government and businesses go down the road of nosing around in our lives...we're going to quickly lose all our privacy,” says Stanley.