Paper 2
Tracking Our Lives
Chipping is a major issue in today’s society. There are multiple arguments that are supporting chipping and arguments that are opposing chipping. In his essay “High Tech Aids or Tracking Tools?” Todd Lewan states that chipping citizens is a “… departure from centuries of history, and tradition in which people had a right to go as they planned without being tracked… “(416). Identification tags were the size of “two grains of rice, as thick as a toothpick” and were used as different methods to hold back the images and information from the police department (416). These chipping trackers are most likely going to be used for Alzheimer’s patients and others. Many microchips were used for livestock for various reasons. Now many of these tracking chips are put onto car windshields and many other items. It’s coming to a point in society where citizen’s every movements and actions will be tracked, monitored, and recorded. Lewan’s argument against chipping is accurate in regard to privacy, freedom, and safety.
First of all, many people are concerned about privacy when it comes to chipping trackers. Privacy is very important to society. Some items should be kept in secrecy and not be exposed to everyone. Putting tracking chips in people will take away some forms of privacy. Barry Steinhardt states that “We’re really on the verge of creating a surveillance society in America, where every movement, every action----some would even claim, our vey thoughts----will be tracked, monitored, recorded and correlated” (as quoted in Lewan 417). Think about how much society would lose if chipping were granted.
Second, many people believe that using tracking chips will take away everyone’s freedom. Freedom is a right that American society is granted with. All of America is given the Fourth Amendment. The Fourth Amendment is the right of the people to be secure in their homes and any other places. No law enforcement has the right to...