[LINK] Implant risks

[thoughtmaybe.com]

Ignoble indeed.

What happens if say, the implant is responsible for drug delivery? Or say,
is a component of the mechanism that wards off Parkinson's tremors for a
person? What havoc could be unleashed in these circumstances with a virus?!
I shouldn't even have to ask that.

But even in the unlikely event of none of the above being of concern, what
about the other impacts of an implant on the body, even *without* it being
infected with a virus.. say, the impact to the biological systems... the
electrical/nervous, magnetic systems? Or, further, the *psychological
impacts*?

We've all heard many reports from persons with implants stating such things
as "You think of it as being you ... it becomes you", etc... even those
without explicit RFID implants state such. It's the same with the
pacemakers, cochlear implants and the like.

So yes, we may have known for ages that these things can carry viruses --
this should be the point! Even more of a reason to stop and reflect on the
impact of such devices for both now and in the future.


Some relevant video:
Kevin Warwick discussing The Cyborg Experiments:
http://thoughtmaybe.com/video/the-cyborg-experiments

Documentary about implants and Transhumanism:
http://thoughtmaybe.com/video/technocalyps


Cheers,
Jore
--thoughtmaybe.com



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Stephen Wilson" <swilson at lockstep.com.au>
To: <link at anu.edu.au>
Sent: Sunday, May 30, 2010 9:29 PM
Subject: Re: [LINK] Implant risks


>
> WTF? Ignoble Prize coming up!
>
> The RFID hip isn't "intimately connected" to this guy, and neither is he
> in any meaningful way "infected" with a computer virus.
>
> Yes, of course sophisticated medical devices are potential carriers of
> viruses, but didn't we know this already?
>
> Cheers,
>
> Steve Wilson
> [Former director of software engineering for a medical device company]
> Lockstep
> www.lockstep.com.au
>
>
>
> stephen at melbpc.org.au wrote:
>> Scientist Becomes First Human 'Infected' With Computer Virus
>>
>> As implantable medical device technology advances, so will potential
>> risks, researcher warns.
>>
>> <http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/639597.html>
>>
>>
>> FRIDAY, May 28 (HealthDay News) -- Implantable devices, such as
>> pacemakers, defibrillators and cochlear implants, are becoming vulnerable
>> to "infection" with computer viruses, a researcher in England warns.
>>
>> To prove his point, Mark Gasson, a scientist at the University of
>> Reading's School of Systems Engineering, allowed himself to become
>> "Exhibit A."
>>
>> Gasson said he became the first person in the world to be infected with a
>> computer virus after he "contaminated" a high-end radio frequency
>> identification (RFID) computer chip -- the kind often used as a security
>> tag in stores to prevent theft -- which he had implanted into his left
>> hand.
>>
>> The point, Gasson explained, was to draw attention to the risks involved
>> with the use of increasingly sophisticated implantable medical device
>> technology.
>>
>> "Our research shows that implantable technology has developed to the
>> point where implants are capable of communicating, storing and
>> manipulating data," he said in a university news release. "They are
>> essentially mini computers. This means that, like mainstream computers,
>> they can be infected by viruses and the technology will need to keep pace
>> with this so that implants, including medical devices, can be safely used
>> in the future."
>>
>> Gasson is scheduled to present his findings at the IEEE International
>> Symposium on Technology and Society, held June 7 to 9 in Australia, for
>> which he also will serve as chairman.
>>
>> The chip Gasson had implanted enabled him to access his place of work and
>> his cell phone, as well as allowing others to track and profile his
>> movements.
>>
>> But once "infected," the chip disrupted the proper functioning of the
>> mainframe system with which it had been communicating, and would have
>> done the same to any other device that might have been similarly hooked
>> up to the network, he said.
>>
>> "By infecting my own implant with a computer virus, we have demonstrated
>> how advanced these technologies are becoming and also had a glimpse at
>> the problems of tomorrow," Gasson said.
>>
>> "Much like people with medical implants, after a year of having the
>> implant, I very much feel that it is part of my body," he added. "While
>> it is exciting to be the first person to become infected by a computer
>> virus in this way, I found it a surprisingly violating experience because
>> the implant is so intimately connected to me but the situation is
>> potentially out of my control."
>>
>> --
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Stephen
>> _______________________________________________
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>>
>>
>
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