The systematic micro-chipping of civilians is an Orwellian nightmare straight out of the pages of a dystopian thriller.
The thought that we, the public, could be under the watchful eyes of ‘Big Brother’ is horrifying. It’s bad enough to think my pals known where I am at all times through the Find My Friends app.
But conspiracy theorists have been making claims to that effect, suggesting that the American government plans to roll out a policy of mass micro-chipping in 2017, because of this 2007 clip from NBC.
The technology reporter jumped in his DeLorean and projected forward a decade to 2017, predicting what our world would look like.
He proposed the idea that we’d all have our identities stored, and presumably tracked, in tiny microchips inserted under the skin.
While there are absolutely no plans published by the White House corroborating his predictions, the technology is certainly available, causing conspiracy theorists to assemble in outrage at the (unconfirmed) prospect of nationwide surveillance.
Fears have been fuelled by incidents in which parents, such as Florida dad Shaun Hudson, have started noticing micro-chipping in their children’s homework, sharing the proof of alleged indoctrination online.
The question reads:
Imagine you work for a human microchip company. The president has given you the opportunity to make a televised speech to the nation. What would you say to persuade people to get a microchip.
Despite the lack of evidence for micro-chipping plans, the topic of surveillance has certainly entered the public’s shared conscience recently.
Last year, Edward Snowden (aka. Citizen Four) leaked information from the NSA documenting the mass surveillance of American citizens and Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror series – now in its third season – brings these very real concerns to the forefront of public awareness.
Meanwhile, technological advancements and political unrest make it almost impossible to predict what our world will look like in 2026.
I imagine even George Orwell would struggle to come up with a prophetic conclusion.
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.