[LINK] OT? ABC: 'Cyborg rights 'need debating now''

[Roger Clarke]

[OT?  I'm not sure]

Cyborg rights 'need debating now'
Friday, 4 June 2010
Anna Salleh
ABC
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2010/06/04/2916443.htm

Cyborgs are alive and well today and asserting their rights, 
presenting society with a challenge that needs to be met head on, 
says one Australian expert.

Dr Roger Clarke, a visiting professor at Australian National 
University's School of Computer Science, will outline his argument in 
a keynote speech to the IEEE International Symposium on Technology 
and Society in Wollongong next week.

[ http://www.rogerclarke.com/SOS/CyRts-1003.html ]

"The first generation of cyborgs is alive, well, walking among us, 
and even running," says Clarke, an expert in social impacts of 
information technologies.

He says cyborgs are humans who use mechanical or electromechanical 
technology to give them abilities they would not otherwise have.

Clarke says while today's cyborgs may not yet be like those in the 
movies, they are presenting society with challenges that will only be 
exacerbated as technology advances.

He says pacemakers, 'clumsy' mechanical hands and renal dialysis have 
led the "cyborgisation" of humans, which now includes technology that 
extends the neural system, restores hearing, enhances vision and 
gives us a sporting edge.

"We have not been reflecting on how fast cyborgisation is actually 
happening and the impacts it's likely to have," says Clarke.

"It turns out there are quite a few implications for human rights."

'Blade runner' rights

Clarke says the competing rights of cyborgs and non-cyborgs, are 
central to the case of South African paralympic champion Oscar 
Pistorius who uses springy carbon fibre and titanium legs to run.

Pistorius aims to compete alongside able-bodied athletes in the 
Olympics and Commonwealth Games, but has been challenged by 
authorities who claim his prosthetics give him an unfair advantage.

"He is making a claim that he has a right to compete against 
able-bodied athletes in the same races and, in the event that he 
comes first, second or third, be awarded the appropriate ribbon or 
medal," says Clarke.

"The IAAF [International Association of Athletics Federations] is 
claiming in effect that either, no he doesn't have that right, or the 
rights of able-bodied athletes to not have to compete against 
enhanced humans trumps his rights."

It is possible that able-bodied athletes will want the right to 
participate in competitions that allow the use of 
performance-enhancing technology, say Clarke.

For example, he says, we may need to consider whether able-bodied 
atheletes, are to be allowed to participate in wheelchair races, 
which can be faster than running races

Enhancing senses

Clarke says technology that enhances hearing and vision could also 
raise questions about rights.

He says while the cochlear implant is currently being used to give 
people some semblance of normal hearing, it could also be used to 
augment normal hearing.

Retinal implants and wearable computers could also be used to allow 
people to secretly record and transmit what they see, says Clarke.

He says useful information could be overlaid on the image being 
captured, such as data from an infrared scanner to indicate heat - 
potentially useful in military applications.

"People can be walking around with this extension and other people 
not realise they've got it," says Clarke.
Clarke says proposals to insert radiofrequency identification (RFID) 
chips in criminals or workers to monitor and control their movement 
also raises questions regarding the right to refuse implants that 
keep track of us in this way.

Rights galore

Clarke says as cyborgisation is increasingly used in the medical 
arena, people may expect they have the right to have technology that 
keeps them alive.

They may also want the right to have the technology removed when they 
want to die, he says.

In summary, says Clarke, cyborgisation of humans is leading to a 
plethora of questions about human rights.

"People who are using prostheses to recover lost capabilities will 
seek to protect their existing rights. People who have lost 
capabilities but have not yet got the relevant prostheses will seek 
the right to have them," says Clark.

"Enhanced humans will seek additional rights, to go with the 
additional capabilities that they have."

Clarke says engineers and others who develop these new technologies 
have an obligation to brief political, social and economic 
institutions on their implications.

"They have to date signally failed to do so, and urgent action is 
needed," says Clarke.

"The need for policy makers to wake up to themselves and get debating 
things is becoming more acute."


-- 
Roger Clarke                                 http://www.rogerclarke.com/
			            
Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd      78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
                    Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916
mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au                http://www.xamax.com.au/

Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre      Uni of NSW
Visiting Professor in Computer Science    Australian National University