The U.S. military wants to plant nanosensors in soldiers to monitor health on future battlefields and immediately respond to needs, but a privacy expert warns the step is just one more down the road to computer chips for all.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s never going to happen that the government at gunpoint says, \u2018You\u2019re going to have a tracking chip,\u2019\u201d said Katherine Albrecht, who with Liz McIntyre authored <\/span>\u201cSpychips,\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a> a book that warns of the threat to privacy posed by Radio Frequency Identification.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s always in incremental steps. If you can put a microchip in someone that doesn\u2019t track them \u2026 everybody looks and says, \u2018Come on,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019ll be interesting seeing where we go.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n According to a report at Mobiledia<\/span><\/strong>,<\/span><\/a> the U.S. military\u2019s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has confirmed plans to create nanosensors to monitor the health of soldiers on battlefields.<\/span><\/p>\n The devices also would report data to doctors. But privacy analysts have expressed concern that the implants could be used not just to monitor health but to keep track of and possibly control people.<\/span><\/p>\n DARPA describes the technology on which it is working as \u201ca truly disruptive innovation,\u201d which would diagnose, monitor vital states and \u201ceven deliver medicine into the bloodstream.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n According to LiveScience.com<\/span><\/strong>,<\/span><\/a> \u201cSolving the problem of sickness could have a huge impact on the number of soldiers ready to fight, because far more have historically died due to illness rather than combat.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The report suggested that for special forces, \u201cthe practical realization of implantable nanosensors capable of monitoring multiple indicators of physiological state could be a truly disruptive innovation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Already being researched is the concept of nanosensors diagnosing disease.<\/span><\/p>\n DARPA expects to launch a second effort focused on treatment later this year.<\/span><\/p>\n Albrecht said the move is another step in the trip down the road of having every person implanted with a chip that might very well monitor health but also other areas of life.<\/span><\/p>\n Microchipping, she said, already is \u201cpar for the course\u201d for pets in many parts of the nation, and that acceptance will make it easier to require it for people.<\/span><\/p>\n She said it was expected that captive audiences, such as prisoners and troops, would be the first subjected to the requirement, which would make it easier for the general populace to accept it as well.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s interesting,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m stunned how this younger generation is OK. They don\u2019t see the problem. \u2026 \u2018Why wouldn\u2019t everyone want to be tracked?\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n But she said Americans will have to decide to say no to incremental advances, or by the time officials finally roll out the idea of chips for all, whether they want them or not, it will be too late to decide.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe analogy that I draw is [that of a train], and if I\u2019m in California and I do not want to wind up in New City, every stop brings me closer,\u201d she said. \u201cAt some point I have to get off the train.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Albrecht also has helped develop and launch a new project called <\/span><\/strong><\/span>StartPage,<\/span><\/strong> <\/span><\/a>which now is handling some 2 million search requests per day.<\/span><\/p>\n The benefit of the page is its privacy. The site explains that every time a person uses a typical search program such as Google, \u201cyour search data is recorded.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThen they store that information in a giant database,\u201d she explains.<\/span><\/p>\n As a result, corporate America and the government have access to \u201ca shocking amount of personal information about you, such as your interests, family circumstances, political leanings, medical conditions and more.<\/span><\/p>\n