from BabagaNewz Magazine, Tevet 5767 / January 2006

During a high-speed chase last May in Teaneck, New Jersey, police sergeant William Koretsky slammed his car into a utility pole and seriously injured himself. An ambulance rushed the officer to Hackensack University Medical Center, where he became the first patient ever admitted with a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag implanted in his arm. A doctor immediately scanned the microchip, revealing an identity code that gave physicians instant access to Koretsky's medical records. Advocates of RFID technology praise this incident as a health care success, but others worry about the loss of personal privacy. "The fear is that the wrong people, such as your boss, your insurer, or maybe police agencies will get information about you," says Arthur Caplan, director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania.

HOW RFID WORKS

The technology that helped save Sgt. Koretsky's life was developed two decades ago as an alternative to bar coding, a cumbersome and expensive inventory control system. Bar coding requires clerks to optically scan information stamped on individual items. Unlike bar codes, which are still widespread, RFID smart tags use radio waves to identify and locate objects. Typically, a remote "reader" communicates with a microchip "tag" embedded in an item. The reader sends a radio signal, which the tag answers by sending its information.

RFID REVOLUTIONIZES LIFE

The RFID revolution not only improves business efficiency, but also promises to make daily life more convenient, safe, and healthy. Consider these examples: Automobiles equipped with RFID tags pay tolls electronically as they speed through toll booths; RFID tags in employee identification cards control access to high-security restricted areas; and sensitive medical equipment tagged with RFID chips send reminders when crucial maintenance is due.

HUMAN IMPLANTS

Although many RFID functions offer benefits to consumers, some raise ethical concerns; and none raise more concerns than implanting RFID tags in humans. Supporters claim implants will save lives. "Many deaths occur because people aren't able to communicate their medical information or because of wrong information," says Scott Silverman, leader of a company that makes RFID tags. Opponents of human implants argue that the potential for abuse, such as tracking employees' whereabouts or discovering their private medical conditions, outweighs the medical benefits; after all, patients can already wear medical alert bracelets. "Once the technology is available," says Katherine Albrecht, a consumer rights activist, "it raises the possibility that people in a position to demand implants will begin to demand them." A discussion of ethical principles central to the RFID debate overflows with conflicts: national security vs. personal privacy (Can airlines or other essential industries require RFID implants in employees?); sanctity of life vs. human dignity (Can loved ones require RFID implants in Alzheimer patients?).

THE JEWISH VIEW

Our sages cherished privacy; in fact, Jewish law cautions against even gazing into private property (Baba Batra 2b). And yet, communal responsibility often trumps personal needs (see Pirkei Avot 2:4). For example, to avoid eclipsing communal joy, shivah (the seven-day period of personal mourning) ends during Jewish festivals. Furthermore, because human beings are created in God's image, Judaism values human dignity. Our tradition explains that dignity takes precedence over any rabbinic law (a law not in the Torah but deduced by our sages). And yet, to preserve life, Jews are permitted to violate all but three prohibitions: murder, incest, and idolatry.