Saturday, April 28, 2012

Omniscient-GPS: Privacy in the New-Human Era


This CNN 'What's Next' article describes a technology application breakthrough helping population biologists studying lions in Kenya to know the location of study animals using a newly developed collar that sends GPS locations via text messages on on an hourly basis.

Instead of acquiring GPS info via radio signals--which requires extensive hit and miss field work--data is automatically e-mailed via wireless networks and posted to an open-source satellite map.

How does this apply to humans?  What would be the social, moral, economic impacts if every child, woman and man wore a bracelet or had an implant that relayed their exact location, 24 hours per day.  Parents would rest easier knowing where there children are playing and children, mates and supervisors would know where you are at all times.  How would this affect crime rates if the suspect's story doesn't jibe with their GPS track.  Could "Omniscient-GPS" be incorporated as a safety feature for divers, drivers and pilots?

Will New-Humans accept the advantages of Omniscient GPS or will privacy concerns make this at most an elective or user-controlled procedure.

Will New-Humans even have a choice, or will they be implanted at birth?  The prospects of this debate taking place are so strong, I can almost see the TV commercials of political candidates embracing or dissing Omniscient-GPS.

And there is natural selection, will Omniscient GPS convey a survival advantage to New-Humans or offer a new vulnerability that makes them less fit?

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