Katina Michael | University of Wollongong (original) (raw)
Papers by Katina Michael
Tracking and monitoring people as they operate within their personal networks benefits service pr... more Tracking and monitoring people as they operate within their personal networks benefits service providers and their constituents but involves hidden risks and costs.
IEEE transactions on technology and society, Jun 1, 2021
Quadrant, Mar 1, 2005
Automatic identification (auto-ID) is the process of identifying a living or nonliving thing with... more Automatic identification (auto-ID) is the process of identifying a living or nonliving thing without direct human intervention. Before auto-ID only manual identification techniques existed, such as tattoos and fingerprints, which did not allow for the automatic capture of data. Many researchers credit the vision of a cashless society to the capabilities of auto-ID. Since the 1960s automatic identification has proliferated especially for mass-market applications such as electronic banking and citizen ID. Together with increases in computer processing power, storage equipment and networking capabilities, miniaturization and mobility have heightened the significance of auto-ID to e-business, especially mobile commerce. Citizens are now carrying multiple devices with multiple IDs, including ATM cards, credit cards, private and public health insurance cards, retail loyalty cards, school student cards, library cards, gymnasium cards, licenses to drive automobiles, passports to travel by air and ship, voting cards, and other. More sophisticated auto-ID devices like smart card and radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags and transponders that house unique lifetime identifiers (ULI) or biometric templates are increasingly being considered for business-to-consumer (B2C) and government-to-citizen (G2C) transactions. For example, the United States is enforcing the use of biometrics on passports due to the increasing threats of terrorism, and Britain has openly announced that it is considering implanting illegal immigrants with RFID transponders. Internationally, countries are also taking measures to decrease the multi-million dollar costs of fraudulent claims made to social security by updating their citizen identification systems with more secure end-user devices.
Computer Communications, Apr 1, 2008
This special issue of Computer Communications presents state-of-the-art research and applications... more This special issue of Computer Communications presents state-of-the-art research and applications in the area of location-based services (LBS). Initial location-based services entered the market around the turn of the millennium and for the greater part appeared in the form of restaurant finders and tourist guides, which never gained widespread user acceptance. The reasons for this were numerous and ranged from inaccurate localization mechanisms like Cell-ID, little creativity in the design and functions of such services, to a generally low acceptance of data services. However, in recent years, there has been an increasing market penetration of GPS-capable mobile phones and devices, which not only support high-accuracy positioning, but also allow for the execution of sophisticated location-based applications due to fast mobile data services, remarkable computational power and high-resolution color displays. Furthermore, the popularity of these devices is accompanied by the emergence of new players in the LBS market, which offer real-time mapping, points-of-interest content, navigation support, and supplementary services. LBS have also received a significant boost by federal government agency mandates in emergency services, such as in the United States of America.
The social phenomenon of body-modifying in a world of technological change: The social phenomenon... more The social phenomenon of body-modifying in a world of technological change: The social phenomenon of body-modifying in a world of technological change: past, present, future past, present, future
Media, Culture & Society, 2013
Microchip implants for humans are not new. Placing heart pacemakers in humans for prosthesis is n... more Microchip implants for humans are not new. Placing heart pacemakers in humans for prosthesis is now considered a straightforward procedure. In more recent times we have begun to use brain pacemakers for therapeutic purposes to combat illnesses such as epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, and severe depression. Microchips are even being placed inside prosthetic knees and hips during restorative procedures to help in the gathering of post-operative analytics that can aid rehabilitation further. While medical innovations that utilize microchips abound, over the last decade we have begun to see the potential use of microchip implants for non-medical devices in humans, namely for control, convenience and care applications. Most of these emerging applications that have been demonstrated in numerous case studies have utilized passive radiofrequency identification (RFID) tags or transponders embedded in the tricep, forearm, wrist or hand of the implantee. The RFID transponder stores a unique identifier that is triggered when the device comes into range of a reader unit.
Social-technical issues facing the humancentric RFID implantee sub-culture Social-technical issue... more Social-technical issues facing the humancentric RFID implantee sub-culture Social-technical issues facing the humancentric RFID implantee sub-culture through the eyes of Amal Graafstra through the eyes of Amal Graafstra
This paper focuses on the growing need to consider the implications of humancentric applications ... more This paper focuses on the growing need to consider the implications of humancentric applications of precise location based services (LBS). As newer positioning technologies are introduced into the market with a greater level of location accuracy, and existing technologies are utilized in an integrated fashion to overcome limitations, issues pertaining to the use and potential misuse of location information rise to the fore. The scenario planning methodology provides a robust approach within which to consider future possibilities based on current market developments. To this end, document and content analysis play an important role in the collection of facts used to illustrate a given set of scenarios. The contribution of this paper is in providing adequate evidence toward precise LBS and in identifying those attributes that will guide the formation of the narrative descriptions in future research. The preliminary results of the study indicate that societal, ethical and legal implications need to be given greater attention as precise LBS applications will be increasingly used in the tagging, tracking and tracing of humans.
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine, 2007
Location-based services (LBS) are those applications that utilize the position of an end-user, an... more Location-based services (LBS) are those applications that utilize the position of an end-user, animal, or thing based on a given device (handheld, wearable, or implanted), for a particular purpose. This article uses scenario planning to identify the possible risks related to location-based services in the context of security and privacy. The original contribution of this article is that the dilemma has been related specifically to LBS, under the privacy-security dichotomy. Here, each side of the dichotomy is divided into three key components that combine to greatly magnify risk. Removing one or more components for each set decreases the privacy or security risk. Where more elements are present in conjunction, the risk is increased.
This mixed methods study with a sequential explanatory strategy explored qualitatively the statis... more This mixed methods study with a sequential explanatory strategy explored qualitatively the statistically significant quantitative findings relative to Indian respondents' perceptions about RFID (radio frequency identification) transponders implanted into the human body. In the first analysis phase of the study, there was a significant chi-square analysis reported (χ2 = 56.64, df = 3, p =.000) relative to the perception of small business owners (N = 453) that implanted chips are a more secure form of identification and/or access control in organizations and the respondents' country of residence. Countries under study included Australia, India, the UK and US. The country contributing most to this significant relationship was India. Additionally, frequency data comparing the relationship of the respondents' generation and perceptions of implants as a more secure technology (yes-no) was examined. The significant chi-square (χ2 = 29.11, df = 2, p =.000) analysis indicated that there was a very significant relationship between the respondents' opinions and such generations as Baby Boomers (those born 1946-1965), Generation X (those born 1966-1980) and Generation Y (those born 1981-2000). The second analysis phase of the study explored qualitative data gleaned from open-ended questions asking Indian Millennials (born 1981-2000) about their feelings about being implanted with a chip. Over one third of the world's population is considered part of the Millennial generation. Of India's 1.2 billion people, approximately half are under the age of 25; that is, over 250 million are categorized as Millennials. Based on the quantitative and qualitative findings, researchers in this study concluded that three factors affect perceptions of RFID implants. One key factor is that Indian Millennials appear to describe more feelings of positivity and neutrality when compared with the two prior generations.
Computer Law & Security Review, Jun 1, 2013
During the last decade, location-tracking and monitoring applications have proliferated, in mobil... more During the last decade, location-tracking and monitoring applications have proliferated, in mobile cellular and wireless data networks, and through self-reporting by applications running in smartphones that are equipped with onboard global positioning system (GPS) chipsets. It is now possible to locate a smartphone user's location not merely to a cell, but to a small area within it. Innovators have been quick to capitalise on these location-based technologies for commercial purposes, and have gained access to a great deal of sensitive personal data in the process. In addition, law enforcement utilises these technologies, can do so inexpensively and hence can track many more people. Moreover, these agencies seek the power to conduct tracking covertly, and without a judicial warrant. This article investigates the dimensions of the problem of people-tracking through the devices that they carry. Location surveillance has very serious negative implications for individuals, yet there are very limited safeguards. It is incumbent on legislatures to address these problems, through both domestic laws and multilateral processes.
IGI Global eBooks, 2006
The adoption of positioning technologies to supplement, complement and function as defense intell... more The adoption of positioning technologies to supplement, complement and function as defense intelligence applications has become widely accepted within homeland security and military circles. At the core of advancement are four main positioning technologies. Specifically these are the global positioning system (GPS), second generation (2G) and beyond mobile telephone networks (including wireless data networks), radio-frequency identification (RFID) and geographic information systems (GIS). For all positioning technologies, both separately and when combined, it is of primary importance to their continued adoption that the controlling powers have an in-depth understanding of the causality between implementation, usage and flow-on effect. This relies on an alignment of defense strategy, knowledge systems, security requirements and citizen rights within the broader social context. Whereas this social context must respond to continuing security breaches, advancements in technology, and the ever-changing face of bureaucracy there is however, great difficulty in creating an uncompromising foundation for homeland security which is at all times both void of complexity and suitable to all. Even more difficult though is to predict both the events and consequences which will herald from the systems now being created.
Prometheus (St. Lucia), Dec 1, 2006
This special issue of Prometheus is dedicated to the theme of the Social Implications of National... more This special issue of Prometheus is dedicated to the theme of the Social Implications of National Security Measures on Citizens and Business. National security measures can be defined as those technical and nontechnical measures that have been initiated as a means to curb breaches in national security, irrespective of whether these might occur by nationals or aliens in or from outside the sovereign state. National security includes such government priorities as maintaining border control, safeguarding against pandemic outbreaks, preventing acts of terror, and even discovering and eliminating identification fraud. Governments worldwide are beginning to implement information and communication security techniques as a way of protecting and enhancing their national security. These techniques take the form of citizen identification card schemes using smart cards, behavioural tracking for crowd control using closed-circuit television (CCTV), electronic tagging for mass transit using radio-frequency identification (RFID), e-passports for travel using biometrics, and 24x7 tracking of suspected terrorists using global positioning systems (GPS). The electorate is informed that these homeland security techniques are in actual fact deployed to assist government in the protection of its citizenry and infrastructure. The introduction of these widespread measures, however, is occurring at a rapid pace without equivalent deliberation over the potential impacts in the longer term on both citizens and business.
Recent developments in the area of RFID have seen the technology expand from its role in industri... more Recent developments in the area of RFID have seen the technology expand from its role in industrial and animal tagging applications, to being implantable in humans. With a gap in literature identified between current technological development and future humancentric possibility, little has been previously known about the nature of contemporary humancentric applications. This paper utilizes usability context analyses, to provide a cohesive study on the current development state of humancentric applications, detached from the emotion and prediction which plagues this particular technology.
The following note from the editors presents a summary of the term überveillance, as it was origi... more The following note from the editors presents a summary of the term überveillance, as it was originally presented by the primary author in May 2006. Überveillance is an above and beyond, an exaggerated, an omnipresent 24/7 electronic surveillance. It is a surveillance that is not only "always on" but "always with you" (it is ubiquitous) because the technology that facilitates it, in its ultimate implementation, is embedded within the human body. The problem with this kind of bodily invasive surveillance is that omnipresence in the 'material' world will not always equate with omniscience, hence the real concern for misinformation, misinterpretation, and information manipulation.
This paper presents the real possibility that commercial mobile tracking and monitoring solutions... more This paper presents the real possibility that commercial mobile tracking and monitoring solutions will become widely adopted for the practice of non traditional covert policing within a community setting, resulting in community members engaging in covert policing of family, friends, or acquaintances. This paper investigates five stakeholder relationships using scenarios to demonstrate the potential socioethical implications that tracking and monitoring people will have on society at large. The five stakeholder types explored in this paper include: (i) husband-wife (partner-partner), (ii) parent-child, (iii) employeremployee, (iv) friend-friend, and (v) stranger-stranger. Mobile technologies such as mobile camera phones, global positioning system data loggers, spatial street databases, radio-frequency identification and other pervasive computing, can be used to gather real-time, detailed evidence for or against a given position. However, there are currently limited laws and ethical guidelines for members of the community to follow when it comes to what is or is not permitted when using unobtrusive technologies to capture multimedia, and other data that can be electronically chronicled. The evident risks associated with such practices are explored.
This paper explores the work of Professor Kevin Warwick, a researcher in the Department of Cybern... more This paper explores the work of Professor Kevin Warwick, a researcher in the Department of Cybernetics at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, who has played a major role in propelling the science of humancentric chip implantation. On the 24th of August 1998, just over a decade ago, Professor Warwick became the first man to officially implant a radio-frequency identification (RFID) transponder under his skin. This paper explores Warwick's achievements, motivations, and chipping experience, offering a unique insight into the ethical dilemmas and controversy surrounding implantable devices for identification purposes, interactive environments and the potential for location-based services. The authors employed a qualitative research strategy. A case study of Professor Kevin Warwick and his research endeavors are presented in a narrative form. The study used three approaches to collect data for the case study-(i) an email questionnaire, (ii) a primary interview, and (iii) secondary documentary sources about Warwick. The data itself is analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The outcome of the research is a contextual account of Warwick's motivations towards the scientific study of implantable computing for the sake of medical progress; one of the approaches which (at least in this instance) underpins chip implant research for human benefit.
The social implications of humancentric chip implants: a scenario-'Thy chipdom The social implica... more The social implications of humancentric chip implants: a scenario-'Thy chipdom The social implications of humancentric chip implants: a scenario-'Thy chipdom come, thy will be done' come, thy will be done'
Since the 1970s, automatic identification (auto-ID) technologies have been evolving to revolution... more Since the 1970s, automatic identification (auto-ID) technologies have been evolving to revolutionise the way people live and work. Previous research has not addressed auto-ID technological innovation as a field of study, despite its growing importance on consumer, business and government electronic commerce (EC) applications. This paper is specifically concerned with five auto-ID technologies, bar codes, magnetic-stripe card, smart card, biometrics and radiofrequency identification (RF/ID) tags and transponders. Using multiple embedded case studies and applying the fundamental concepts of the systems of innovation (SI) approach, the overall aim is to understand the selection environment of the auto-ID industry. The results show that industry competition encourages the coexistence of numerous auto-ID technologies, dispelling the idea that one superior technology will make all others obsolete. This can be seen by the trends of migration, integration and convergence that are occurring in auto-ID innovation today. The significance of the study rests in its practical contributions. Stakeholders will benefit by becoming more aware of the opportunities in the market for the recombination of one or more auto-ID techniques. Additionally, suppliers of auto-ID system components will understand the new paradigm where various auto-ID firms can share in the same trajectory successfully.
The objective of this paper is to explore the role of human tracking technology, primarily the us... more The objective of this paper is to explore the role of human tracking technology, primarily the use of global positioning systems (GPS) in locating individuals for the purposes of mutual legal assistance (MLA), and providing location intelligence for use in interstate police cooperation within the context of transnational crime. GPS allows for the 24/7 continuous real-time tracking of an individual, and is considered manifold more powerful than the traditional visual surveillance often exercised by the police. As the use of GPS for human tracking grows in the law enforcement sector, federal and state laws in many countries are to a great extent undefined or even contradictory, especially regarding the need to obtain warrants before the deployment of location surveillance equipment. This leaves courts ruling on transnational crimes in the precarious position of having to rely on age-old precedents which are completely void to the new capabilities of today's tracking technologies. On one side of the debate are civil libertarians who believe the individual's right to be let alone is being eroded to the compromise of human rights, and on the other side are law enforcement agencies who wish to provide more precise evidence to judges and juries during hearings against suspects (particularly in issues pertaining to national security). This paper argues that there is a radical middle position, the via media: that a warrant process is legislatively defined and not only for MLAs but also to formalise existing informal interstate police cooperation. Safeguards are required to overcome the potential misuse of human tracking technologies by police officials and others in positions of power. And this particularly in light of the emerging implantable high-tech identification and tracking devices now commercially available.
Tracking and monitoring people as they operate within their personal networks benefits service pr... more Tracking and monitoring people as they operate within their personal networks benefits service providers and their constituents but involves hidden risks and costs.
IEEE transactions on technology and society, Jun 1, 2021
Quadrant, Mar 1, 2005
Automatic identification (auto-ID) is the process of identifying a living or nonliving thing with... more Automatic identification (auto-ID) is the process of identifying a living or nonliving thing without direct human intervention. Before auto-ID only manual identification techniques existed, such as tattoos and fingerprints, which did not allow for the automatic capture of data. Many researchers credit the vision of a cashless society to the capabilities of auto-ID. Since the 1960s automatic identification has proliferated especially for mass-market applications such as electronic banking and citizen ID. Together with increases in computer processing power, storage equipment and networking capabilities, miniaturization and mobility have heightened the significance of auto-ID to e-business, especially mobile commerce. Citizens are now carrying multiple devices with multiple IDs, including ATM cards, credit cards, private and public health insurance cards, retail loyalty cards, school student cards, library cards, gymnasium cards, licenses to drive automobiles, passports to travel by air and ship, voting cards, and other. More sophisticated auto-ID devices like smart card and radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags and transponders that house unique lifetime identifiers (ULI) or biometric templates are increasingly being considered for business-to-consumer (B2C) and government-to-citizen (G2C) transactions. For example, the United States is enforcing the use of biometrics on passports due to the increasing threats of terrorism, and Britain has openly announced that it is considering implanting illegal immigrants with RFID transponders. Internationally, countries are also taking measures to decrease the multi-million dollar costs of fraudulent claims made to social security by updating their citizen identification systems with more secure end-user devices.
Computer Communications, Apr 1, 2008
This special issue of Computer Communications presents state-of-the-art research and applications... more This special issue of Computer Communications presents state-of-the-art research and applications in the area of location-based services (LBS). Initial location-based services entered the market around the turn of the millennium and for the greater part appeared in the form of restaurant finders and tourist guides, which never gained widespread user acceptance. The reasons for this were numerous and ranged from inaccurate localization mechanisms like Cell-ID, little creativity in the design and functions of such services, to a generally low acceptance of data services. However, in recent years, there has been an increasing market penetration of GPS-capable mobile phones and devices, which not only support high-accuracy positioning, but also allow for the execution of sophisticated location-based applications due to fast mobile data services, remarkable computational power and high-resolution color displays. Furthermore, the popularity of these devices is accompanied by the emergence of new players in the LBS market, which offer real-time mapping, points-of-interest content, navigation support, and supplementary services. LBS have also received a significant boost by federal government agency mandates in emergency services, such as in the United States of America.
The social phenomenon of body-modifying in a world of technological change: The social phenomenon... more The social phenomenon of body-modifying in a world of technological change: The social phenomenon of body-modifying in a world of technological change: past, present, future past, present, future
Media, Culture & Society, 2013
Microchip implants for humans are not new. Placing heart pacemakers in humans for prosthesis is n... more Microchip implants for humans are not new. Placing heart pacemakers in humans for prosthesis is now considered a straightforward procedure. In more recent times we have begun to use brain pacemakers for therapeutic purposes to combat illnesses such as epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, and severe depression. Microchips are even being placed inside prosthetic knees and hips during restorative procedures to help in the gathering of post-operative analytics that can aid rehabilitation further. While medical innovations that utilize microchips abound, over the last decade we have begun to see the potential use of microchip implants for non-medical devices in humans, namely for control, convenience and care applications. Most of these emerging applications that have been demonstrated in numerous case studies have utilized passive radiofrequency identification (RFID) tags or transponders embedded in the tricep, forearm, wrist or hand of the implantee. The RFID transponder stores a unique identifier that is triggered when the device comes into range of a reader unit.
Social-technical issues facing the humancentric RFID implantee sub-culture Social-technical issue... more Social-technical issues facing the humancentric RFID implantee sub-culture Social-technical issues facing the humancentric RFID implantee sub-culture through the eyes of Amal Graafstra through the eyes of Amal Graafstra
This paper focuses on the growing need to consider the implications of humancentric applications ... more This paper focuses on the growing need to consider the implications of humancentric applications of precise location based services (LBS). As newer positioning technologies are introduced into the market with a greater level of location accuracy, and existing technologies are utilized in an integrated fashion to overcome limitations, issues pertaining to the use and potential misuse of location information rise to the fore. The scenario planning methodology provides a robust approach within which to consider future possibilities based on current market developments. To this end, document and content analysis play an important role in the collection of facts used to illustrate a given set of scenarios. The contribution of this paper is in providing adequate evidence toward precise LBS and in identifying those attributes that will guide the formation of the narrative descriptions in future research. The preliminary results of the study indicate that societal, ethical and legal implications need to be given greater attention as precise LBS applications will be increasingly used in the tagging, tracking and tracing of humans.
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine, 2007
Location-based services (LBS) are those applications that utilize the position of an end-user, an... more Location-based services (LBS) are those applications that utilize the position of an end-user, animal, or thing based on a given device (handheld, wearable, or implanted), for a particular purpose. This article uses scenario planning to identify the possible risks related to location-based services in the context of security and privacy. The original contribution of this article is that the dilemma has been related specifically to LBS, under the privacy-security dichotomy. Here, each side of the dichotomy is divided into three key components that combine to greatly magnify risk. Removing one or more components for each set decreases the privacy or security risk. Where more elements are present in conjunction, the risk is increased.
This mixed methods study with a sequential explanatory strategy explored qualitatively the statis... more This mixed methods study with a sequential explanatory strategy explored qualitatively the statistically significant quantitative findings relative to Indian respondents' perceptions about RFID (radio frequency identification) transponders implanted into the human body. In the first analysis phase of the study, there was a significant chi-square analysis reported (χ2 = 56.64, df = 3, p =.000) relative to the perception of small business owners (N = 453) that implanted chips are a more secure form of identification and/or access control in organizations and the respondents' country of residence. Countries under study included Australia, India, the UK and US. The country contributing most to this significant relationship was India. Additionally, frequency data comparing the relationship of the respondents' generation and perceptions of implants as a more secure technology (yes-no) was examined. The significant chi-square (χ2 = 29.11, df = 2, p =.000) analysis indicated that there was a very significant relationship between the respondents' opinions and such generations as Baby Boomers (those born 1946-1965), Generation X (those born 1966-1980) and Generation Y (those born 1981-2000). The second analysis phase of the study explored qualitative data gleaned from open-ended questions asking Indian Millennials (born 1981-2000) about their feelings about being implanted with a chip. Over one third of the world's population is considered part of the Millennial generation. Of India's 1.2 billion people, approximately half are under the age of 25; that is, over 250 million are categorized as Millennials. Based on the quantitative and qualitative findings, researchers in this study concluded that three factors affect perceptions of RFID implants. One key factor is that Indian Millennials appear to describe more feelings of positivity and neutrality when compared with the two prior generations.
Computer Law & Security Review, Jun 1, 2013
During the last decade, location-tracking and monitoring applications have proliferated, in mobil... more During the last decade, location-tracking and monitoring applications have proliferated, in mobile cellular and wireless data networks, and through self-reporting by applications running in smartphones that are equipped with onboard global positioning system (GPS) chipsets. It is now possible to locate a smartphone user's location not merely to a cell, but to a small area within it. Innovators have been quick to capitalise on these location-based technologies for commercial purposes, and have gained access to a great deal of sensitive personal data in the process. In addition, law enforcement utilises these technologies, can do so inexpensively and hence can track many more people. Moreover, these agencies seek the power to conduct tracking covertly, and without a judicial warrant. This article investigates the dimensions of the problem of people-tracking through the devices that they carry. Location surveillance has very serious negative implications for individuals, yet there are very limited safeguards. It is incumbent on legislatures to address these problems, through both domestic laws and multilateral processes.
IGI Global eBooks, 2006
The adoption of positioning technologies to supplement, complement and function as defense intell... more The adoption of positioning technologies to supplement, complement and function as defense intelligence applications has become widely accepted within homeland security and military circles. At the core of advancement are four main positioning technologies. Specifically these are the global positioning system (GPS), second generation (2G) and beyond mobile telephone networks (including wireless data networks), radio-frequency identification (RFID) and geographic information systems (GIS). For all positioning technologies, both separately and when combined, it is of primary importance to their continued adoption that the controlling powers have an in-depth understanding of the causality between implementation, usage and flow-on effect. This relies on an alignment of defense strategy, knowledge systems, security requirements and citizen rights within the broader social context. Whereas this social context must respond to continuing security breaches, advancements in technology, and the ever-changing face of bureaucracy there is however, great difficulty in creating an uncompromising foundation for homeland security which is at all times both void of complexity and suitable to all. Even more difficult though is to predict both the events and consequences which will herald from the systems now being created.
Prometheus (St. Lucia), Dec 1, 2006
This special issue of Prometheus is dedicated to the theme of the Social Implications of National... more This special issue of Prometheus is dedicated to the theme of the Social Implications of National Security Measures on Citizens and Business. National security measures can be defined as those technical and nontechnical measures that have been initiated as a means to curb breaches in national security, irrespective of whether these might occur by nationals or aliens in or from outside the sovereign state. National security includes such government priorities as maintaining border control, safeguarding against pandemic outbreaks, preventing acts of terror, and even discovering and eliminating identification fraud. Governments worldwide are beginning to implement information and communication security techniques as a way of protecting and enhancing their national security. These techniques take the form of citizen identification card schemes using smart cards, behavioural tracking for crowd control using closed-circuit television (CCTV), electronic tagging for mass transit using radio-frequency identification (RFID), e-passports for travel using biometrics, and 24x7 tracking of suspected terrorists using global positioning systems (GPS). The electorate is informed that these homeland security techniques are in actual fact deployed to assist government in the protection of its citizenry and infrastructure. The introduction of these widespread measures, however, is occurring at a rapid pace without equivalent deliberation over the potential impacts in the longer term on both citizens and business.
Recent developments in the area of RFID have seen the technology expand from its role in industri... more Recent developments in the area of RFID have seen the technology expand from its role in industrial and animal tagging applications, to being implantable in humans. With a gap in literature identified between current technological development and future humancentric possibility, little has been previously known about the nature of contemporary humancentric applications. This paper utilizes usability context analyses, to provide a cohesive study on the current development state of humancentric applications, detached from the emotion and prediction which plagues this particular technology.
The following note from the editors presents a summary of the term überveillance, as it was origi... more The following note from the editors presents a summary of the term überveillance, as it was originally presented by the primary author in May 2006. Überveillance is an above and beyond, an exaggerated, an omnipresent 24/7 electronic surveillance. It is a surveillance that is not only "always on" but "always with you" (it is ubiquitous) because the technology that facilitates it, in its ultimate implementation, is embedded within the human body. The problem with this kind of bodily invasive surveillance is that omnipresence in the 'material' world will not always equate with omniscience, hence the real concern for misinformation, misinterpretation, and information manipulation.
This paper presents the real possibility that commercial mobile tracking and monitoring solutions... more This paper presents the real possibility that commercial mobile tracking and monitoring solutions will become widely adopted for the practice of non traditional covert policing within a community setting, resulting in community members engaging in covert policing of family, friends, or acquaintances. This paper investigates five stakeholder relationships using scenarios to demonstrate the potential socioethical implications that tracking and monitoring people will have on society at large. The five stakeholder types explored in this paper include: (i) husband-wife (partner-partner), (ii) parent-child, (iii) employeremployee, (iv) friend-friend, and (v) stranger-stranger. Mobile technologies such as mobile camera phones, global positioning system data loggers, spatial street databases, radio-frequency identification and other pervasive computing, can be used to gather real-time, detailed evidence for or against a given position. However, there are currently limited laws and ethical guidelines for members of the community to follow when it comes to what is or is not permitted when using unobtrusive technologies to capture multimedia, and other data that can be electronically chronicled. The evident risks associated with such practices are explored.
This paper explores the work of Professor Kevin Warwick, a researcher in the Department of Cybern... more This paper explores the work of Professor Kevin Warwick, a researcher in the Department of Cybernetics at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, who has played a major role in propelling the science of humancentric chip implantation. On the 24th of August 1998, just over a decade ago, Professor Warwick became the first man to officially implant a radio-frequency identification (RFID) transponder under his skin. This paper explores Warwick's achievements, motivations, and chipping experience, offering a unique insight into the ethical dilemmas and controversy surrounding implantable devices for identification purposes, interactive environments and the potential for location-based services. The authors employed a qualitative research strategy. A case study of Professor Kevin Warwick and his research endeavors are presented in a narrative form. The study used three approaches to collect data for the case study-(i) an email questionnaire, (ii) a primary interview, and (iii) secondary documentary sources about Warwick. The data itself is analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The outcome of the research is a contextual account of Warwick's motivations towards the scientific study of implantable computing for the sake of medical progress; one of the approaches which (at least in this instance) underpins chip implant research for human benefit.
The social implications of humancentric chip implants: a scenario-'Thy chipdom The social implica... more The social implications of humancentric chip implants: a scenario-'Thy chipdom The social implications of humancentric chip implants: a scenario-'Thy chipdom come, thy will be done' come, thy will be done'
Since the 1970s, automatic identification (auto-ID) technologies have been evolving to revolution... more Since the 1970s, automatic identification (auto-ID) technologies have been evolving to revolutionise the way people live and work. Previous research has not addressed auto-ID technological innovation as a field of study, despite its growing importance on consumer, business and government electronic commerce (EC) applications. This paper is specifically concerned with five auto-ID technologies, bar codes, magnetic-stripe card, smart card, biometrics and radiofrequency identification (RF/ID) tags and transponders. Using multiple embedded case studies and applying the fundamental concepts of the systems of innovation (SI) approach, the overall aim is to understand the selection environment of the auto-ID industry. The results show that industry competition encourages the coexistence of numerous auto-ID technologies, dispelling the idea that one superior technology will make all others obsolete. This can be seen by the trends of migration, integration and convergence that are occurring in auto-ID innovation today. The significance of the study rests in its practical contributions. Stakeholders will benefit by becoming more aware of the opportunities in the market for the recombination of one or more auto-ID techniques. Additionally, suppliers of auto-ID system components will understand the new paradigm where various auto-ID firms can share in the same trajectory successfully.
The objective of this paper is to explore the role of human tracking technology, primarily the us... more The objective of this paper is to explore the role of human tracking technology, primarily the use of global positioning systems (GPS) in locating individuals for the purposes of mutual legal assistance (MLA), and providing location intelligence for use in interstate police cooperation within the context of transnational crime. GPS allows for the 24/7 continuous real-time tracking of an individual, and is considered manifold more powerful than the traditional visual surveillance often exercised by the police. As the use of GPS for human tracking grows in the law enforcement sector, federal and state laws in many countries are to a great extent undefined or even contradictory, especially regarding the need to obtain warrants before the deployment of location surveillance equipment. This leaves courts ruling on transnational crimes in the precarious position of having to rely on age-old precedents which are completely void to the new capabilities of today's tracking technologies. On one side of the debate are civil libertarians who believe the individual's right to be let alone is being eroded to the compromise of human rights, and on the other side are law enforcement agencies who wish to provide more precise evidence to judges and juries during hearings against suspects (particularly in issues pertaining to national security). This paper argues that there is a radical middle position, the via media: that a warrant process is legislatively defined and not only for MLAs but also to formalise existing informal interstate police cooperation. Safeguards are required to overcome the potential misuse of human tracking technologies by police officials and others in positions of power. And this particularly in light of the emerging implantable high-tech identification and tracking devices now commercially available.