Christie's To Auction 1958 Prototype Of Microchip Used In Nobel-Prize Winning Invention (Photo : Getty Images)
Transhumanist Party presidential candidate Zoltan Istvan has a proposal on how to address the problem of Syrian refugees that would take into account the humanitarian and security aspects raised by last week's Paris terror attacks.
His suggestion is to implant microchips on Syrian refugees that the U.S. would accept as part of the country's commitment to provide asylum to legitimate Syrians who are fleeing the civil war and the Daesh control of their country. At the same time, this would help monitor the movements of the refugees since some of them could possibly be terrorists who slipped in with real asylum seekers.
Istvan explains, "The procedure takes a minute and is harmless ... The chip is the size of a grain of rice and could go in the hand and be useful for more than just tracking purposes," quotes CNET. He shares that he has a microchip in his hand.
He says the microchip could be removed after a period, such as three years, after Washington determines they are safe to be part of American society. He adds the chip could be used also to track if they refugees are working and paying taxes.
Istvan is aware that measures such as mandatory microchipping could be controversial because of its implication of a Big Brother-type of surveillance. However, he says Big Brother should not be viewed now negatively "if he protects us from ISIS."
Beyond the current security issues caused by the Syrian refugees since one of the bombers in Paris was found with a Syrian passport, Istvan believes that in the next 10 years, millions of people would be microchipped for convenience. He says by then all it takes to transact business in establishments such as Starbucks is to wave their hand to pay for a product or service instead of paying with cash or credit card.
Istvan's proposal would likely be rejected by Americans not only because it sounds creepy, but also because majority are not in favor of accepting the Syrian refugees. The Washington Post reports that in its latest poll with ABC published on Friday, 54 percent do not want to take in refugees. It is almost similar to the 53 percent in an earlier Bloomberg survey.
