Long before the Western Territory was fenced, cattlemen branded their livestock so they could be easily identified if they wandered onto another rancher’s land. The brand, typically consisting of a hot iron formed into a unique symbol, was pressed into the hide of unsuspecting cattle and horses. The burn left a permanent scar on the body. Although historically used to mark property, brands have also been used to oppress, humiliate, criminalize, and persecute. In 1547 King Edward VI of England gave credence to human branding in the Statute of Vagabonds. Escaped slaves were marked with an ‘S’ and blasphemers were branded with a ‘B’, often on the face or forehead. Additionally, the Nazi Party, beginning in 1943, branded the Jews at Auschwitz by tattooing identification numbers into their skin (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2010).
Today, transponder chips are being placed under the skin of our dogs for identification purposes. Further, VeriChip (PositiveID) has gained FDA approval for performing the same service on humans (Holtzman, 2008). This recently emerged technology reflects what Thornburg referred to as the rhymes of history driving force (2009). Rhymes of history refers to a new innovation that rekindles something from the distant past as a means of driving the emergence of the new technology (Thornburg, 2009). Just as our livestock and criminals were branded in the distant past, chipping provides identification information for our pets and our children. Advocates for chipping technology cite lifesaving benefits, curbing identity theft, and the location and identification of victims in a disaster (Kanellos, 2004). The primary argument against chipping is the potential for human rights violations. Although the technology certainly exists, the potential for abuse and misuse knows no bounds. Branding was used as a simple (if painful) identification technique, yet humans were subjected to dangerous and despicable applications. It is not the technology nor the concept that I distrust, it is the power of institutions to misuse it in the name of the greater good that remains terrifying.
Lewis Wickes Hine, photographer. From the records of the United States National Child Labor Committee. Retrieved from http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.learnnc.org/lp/media/uploads/2009/09/housing_600.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/child-labor/5861&usg=__MG8wCA1JD4zC0uVqY1JQ8IAX0Bo=&h=425&w=600&sz=45&hl=en&start=11&itbs=1&tbnid=-qEERjZZkWNY3M:&tbnh=96&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtextile%2Bmill%2Btown%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG%26tbs%3Disch:1On another note, Kelly (2007, December) stated that technology is rapidly becoming one machine housed in the World Wide Web. He noted that our devices are just portals into the belly of the beast where we are all connected and interconnected. This unification of technologies is represented by three elements: embodiment, restructuring, and codependency. This, too, is reflective of the rhymes of history as regards to rekindling ideas from our distant past. Just as the Web is a central hub that connects us and drives our learning, our socialization, and our economy, at one time the steel works and textile mills in the southern United States provided the same presence. They were the economic base, the social connection, and the educational foundation of every community. The factory embodied the livelihood of its workers, it gave structure to the community, and there was a codependent relationship. The textile or steel machine was the reason for the community; it fed the community who in turn fed the machine.
The VeriChip company is now known as PositiveID. You may access their website here http://www.positiveidcorp.com/
For a relatively comprehensive blog about RFID (Radio-frequency identification) applications: http://www.rfid-weblog.com/
Holtzman, D. H. (2008, February). Human ID dhips get under my skin. Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2008/tc20080211_165324.htm
Kanellos, M. (2004, August). Idea of implanting ID tags raises Orwellian fears. Retrieved from http://news.cnet.com/Human-chips-more-than-skin-deep/2009-1008_3-5318076.html
Kelly, K. (2007, December). The next 5,000 days of the Web [Speech]. Speech delivered at the EG 2007 Conference, Los Angeles. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/ kevin_kelly_on_the_next_5_000_days_of_the_web.html
Thornburg, D. D. (2009). Rhymes of history. [Vodcast]. Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4199715&Survey=1&47=4169653&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. (2010). Tattoos and numbers: The system of identifying prisoners at Auschwitz. Retrieved from http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007056
