RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) microchips are quite small and can be embedded into the skin. These chips do not have a battery or power source; they are activated only when interacting with a reader device (Pareders). RFID microchips often are used for storing personal information such as your ID, contact and credit card information, medical history etc. Instead of physically carrying this information around, microchips provide a digital interface for them to be stored in (Brown).  

Human microchipping has been around since the 1998s, with professor Kevin Warwick being the first to implant a microchip in his arm. However in the recent years, it has become more widely accepted and put into practice. Examples include the US, as well as Sweden, a country rich with technological advancement and where thousands have implanted RFID chips into their hands (Pareders). Whilst I don’t think that people should be getting these chips implanted, there are some advantages to them.

One benefit of implanting an RFID microchip is that you won’t be worried about losing this information or getting it stolen. We already use RFID chips for daily activities like paying, utilizing public transport/facilities, etc. by having them in plastic cards that we can carry around in our wallets. However, by having them implanted, it is much more difficult to have this information physically stolen. Another benefit is that the medical history will be more accessible due to it being in the RFID chip. This means that doctors can easily find out about the patient’s allergies or medication that they have previously or are currently taking with just a scan (“Should humans get identity chips implanted under their skin?”).  

However, RFID chips can pose a threat to our health as the long-term effects of embedding them in the body are not well understood yet. Having only one RFID chip that is able to work for everything is not possible since there are many different identification systems in place. Thus, people would need to implant multiple chips for different things. The issue with these chips is that they often don’t stay in place and are able to move to different areas, which would be problematic in medical emergencies since they won’t be easy to locate and scan. Furthermore, they can cause harmful tissue reactions, electrical hazards and incompatibility with strong medical equipment like MRIs. MRI scans are quite important in examining patients, yet patients who have a microchip would not be able to undergo the procedure, since the machine is ultimately a giant magnet and would rip the metal out of them. There are many more possible RFID chip-related issues that haven’t fully been studied yet and need more research on before we can be sure that the chips are truly safe to be implanted (“Human Microchipping, The Benefits and Downsides”).

Furthermore, there are also issues regarding privacy concerns, data leaks and hacking. RFID chips contain a lot of important and sensitive information about a person which can easily become a target for hackers. If this information were to be writable along with being readable, the data could be copied, corrupted or wiped, which would allow for impersonation or having your information replaced with someone else’s. RFID chips also face ethical concerns. If mass implantation were to occur, our freedom of choice can be taken away by having a world where people would be required to have a chip implanted on them in order to have a job, not starve and to be a part of society. Additionally, gaps between classes may widen, creating a separation between those who would be able to access and purchase the product and those who would not (Brown).

In conclusion, I don’t think it’s worth it to get an RFID chip implanted. So far, there are not any significant or remarkable benefits this technology can bring to humans yet. They are convenient, but nothing out of this world. Overall, they pose a lot of health hazards, security risks and ethical concerns. In my opinion, RFID chips could easily become a tool of oppression and would only serve to create further division between people. Do we really want to endanger our health, privacy and freedom of choice just to be able to stop losing our wallets? There are safer and more effective options to pursue that can help us become a better version of ourselves. 

    Works Cited

Brown, Andrew. "Human Microchipping: An Unbiased Look At The Pros And Cons." Freecodecamp. 26 April. 2019.

“Human Microchipping, The Benefits And Downsides". Richard Van Hooijdonk, 2017. Accessed 1 May 2019.

Paredes, Rebecca. “Are RFID Chip Implants the Future? What You Should Know About This Biohacking Trend.” Bulletproof, Bulletproof. 25 April. 2019.

"Should Humans Get Identity Chips Implanted Under Their Skin?". Justscience, 2018. Accessed 1 May 2019.