Eithical Debate: Barcoding People: Social Nescity or Orwellian Nightmare?

[Cyber-Angel]

I would like to know what people think about the following:

There is debate in some countries such as the UK, US and Australia about the introduction of Biometric ID Cards and Passports in this post 9/11 world that we find our selves in today that seams to be the most unstable its been since the Cold War: these are on thing and the pros and cons of these have been well stated in the media and they are not really the concern here the issue before us is the potential for use of mandatory bar-codes been placed on people for the purposes of bureaucracy, security and other uses stated or not.

I am not saying that this will ever happen...But what if it did what might the world be like in that kind of future? As some one with an interest in both social anthology and futurology I am interested in the discourse on this matter.

Regards to you.

Cyber-Angel         

[efflux]

I am against the intended DNA gathering from all UK citizens. It is against human rights. The UK government are breaching human rights in several other ways now as well.

[Will]

yea I think its kinda of creepy...but it would be cool to have a barcode on my neck 

[Dark Fire]

Yeah, I agree. While this stuff sounds cool, it is creepy when you think about it. If a national DNA database is created in the UK, I'm going to try my best to emigrate. Ireland is a cool country to go to - it's the richest country in Europe now, and it produces a significant proportion of the world's computers and related-devices. I can't see the point of the introduction of a national DNA database in such a small country...

[rcallicotte]

If people in government weren't so concerned about controlling people, it might be useful.  Medical matching for organs and catching crooks are two great reasons for DNA.  The problem, as with everything man tries, is that we have limits of wisdom as far as who is given this power.  Take the present administration in the U.S.  There are even concerns among some that President Bush might try to prevent the next election.  That's how far from the so-called freedom he preaches we've gone.  Media might as well just admit they're government controlled and the wealthy might as well quit pretending everyone thinks they're nice. 

The "free" world is not so free, which is the ultimate result of lack of real wisdom in leaders across the world.  Most leaders, if not all, are more concerned about getting their wealth than taking care of the people in their "care".  For these reasons, DNA libraries of every citizen are nothing more than an attempt to treat us like cattle.

[Harvey Birdman]

DNA database creation is one thing- how about RFID tagging? Sounds unlikely at the moment, but then how likely did the prospect of a docile populace submitting wholesale to the removal of basic freedoms seem, say, in the 60's? The sort of crap people have willingly submitted to in the last 6 years (government secret reviews of individual's library records and book purchases, without judicial oversight or subpeona, as an example) would have engendered wholesale revolution 40 years ago; today, people just roll over and blindly trust to the worms in power.

A healthy democracy requires an educated, skeptical electorate. This country has slipped badly on both those requirements in the last half-century. I'm afraid I am extremely pessimistic about the future of individual liberties.

[child@play]

A healthy democracy requires an educated, skeptical electorate.

and that's part of the problem. it's easy to control people who live in fear (of terror, e.g.) and cut down freedom and information more and more. less educated and informed masses are easier too control too. and the circle goes on and on, until we end up having RFID chips in our heads ( there are 'plans' to insert those chips in newborns) and eating drugs spread by our government. brave new world ...

[rcallicotte]

That's interesting, since people who graduate from high school has been on the decline in the United States.

"THX 1138" was closer to the truth than people realize.

...cut down freedom and information more and more. less educated and informed masses are easier too control too.

[Sethren]

Sounds like 1984. This is not a world i want to be in. If any government implements such a method i'll gladly move away from that to another country.

[Will]

It would be cool to be part of no country, just not have a nationality.

[rcallicotte]

I know you know this, but this is another definition for anarchy.  In essence, it wouldn't be hard to find a group of people interested in this idea.  But, then...then what?

It would be cool to be part of no country, just not have a nationality.

[NWsenior07]

It seems to me that we've forgotten that a kind of "barcode" already exists in the U.S. It goes by the name of our social security number. When it boils down to it our SSN is the government's ultimate way to keep track of every U.S. citizen. I'll admit it has no where near the implications that a potential DNA database has or that implanted RFID chips have, but the concept is similar. Personally I find that kind of government involvment in everyday life slightly scary. A world where our comings and goings are easily tracked by a chip in my arm is extraordinarily disturbing. Citizens of every nation must remember to not let themeselves be terrorized into submission, remember our world, as dangerous though it may be, is not as dangerous as CNN would have you believe. Your next door neighbor is probably not a terrorist and there is not a squad of secret police coming to your house tonight to drag you off to a secret prision. We as informed citizens must remember this and refuse to intimidation and fear. Government in recent years has taken needed steps to ensure security, but once the threat has been reasonably reduced, I'd say that a level of normalcy should be resumed. Big Brother has no place in my life.

[Sethren]

SSN's i am not worried about. It's having a chip shoved up my rear pardon the pun. I can honestly say at the moment i do not feel any of my rights are taken away all. I feel fine.        Besides i can't imagine the US becoming that 1984 setting.

[Will]

True it would be anarchy but on a much smaller scale I'm not saying an entire civilization of people, just be me, Will: a renegade CG artist with a chip on his shoulder and just his trusty laptop to survive in a cruel and unforgiving world.  It would be a assassin thriller with a Star Wars era Harrison Ford playing the part of me.

[BPauba]

electronic banking brings life somewhat close to this sort of concept. All that information is stored away into databanks, t is pretty easy to keep tabs o people through electronic means.