ID chip implants, other repression proposed by Blairites
no police state | 25.12.2006 09:43 | Repression | Technology
Chip implants, forced biochemical manipulation, state-sponsored vigilantism, psychological abuse of prisoners, anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant repression, and "rationing" of alcohol are among the repressive measures being mooted by the Blairites, to counteract a feared "rise in crime" they admit is mainly caused by neoliberal economics.
Sorry to be a Grinch this year, but found this especially disturbing... Apparently the government is seriously considering enforced RFID chip implants!
The broader context is as follows:
The government admits the main cause of "crime" is economic, and fears a big crime-rate rise due to economic changes. They admit that four-fifths of the fall in "crime" is due to economic factors. But rather than address what it admits is the main cause, it seeks further repressive measures to counteract the increase.
Most of these are very disturbing imposed medical intervention measures which either impose medical "solutions" on individuals or regulate individuals in previously unthinkable ways. Those under consideration include - "chemical castration", which involves forced injection of chemicals which in effect induce depression; and "heroin vaccination", which means, forcibly injecting a substance which permanently renders someone unable to obtain the usual effects of heroin (though reports are mixed, with some versions suggesting that the proposal is to prescribe heroin). These kinds of measures are a vicious attack on the integrity of the human body, an abuse of medicine for purposes of social control.
Another measure is "alcohol rationing" - restricting the amount of alcohol an individual can buy (based on a similar scheme in Sweden). This kind of interference in individual consumption has previously only been attempted in contexts of actual scarcity. Presumably this would be enforced through the ID scheme, requiring everyone's alcohol consumption to be constantly recorded by the state.
Another is the plan to use "bounty hunters" - random, often violent individuals paid a reward for capturing fugitives. This system has led to extensive abuse in America, as bounty hunters have used no-questions-asked violent and inhumane tactics to capture targets - many of them minor "offenders" such as fine defaulters, others turning out to be the wrong person. It's basically a system of state-sanctioned vigilantism.
Psychological abuse of inmates by means of ritual humiliation is proposed. And further attacks on Muslims who wear the veil are also mooted, along with racist fearmongering about "clandestine" immigrants.
But the most disturbing of the proposals is forced microchip or RFID chip implanting. This has been mooted by opponents of ID for some time, as the logical endpoint of ID schemes. It would lead to a population which is permanently "bugged", trackable anywhere at any time - effectively denied personal autonomy.
Mainstream coverage:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/12/24/ucrime124.xml
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061224/wl_uk_afp/britainpoliticscrime_061224093407
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=124314&version=1&template_id=38&parent_id=20
The broader context is as follows:
The government admits the main cause of "crime" is economic, and fears a big crime-rate rise due to economic changes. They admit that four-fifths of the fall in "crime" is due to economic factors. But rather than address what it admits is the main cause, it seeks further repressive measures to counteract the increase.
Most of these are very disturbing imposed medical intervention measures which either impose medical "solutions" on individuals or regulate individuals in previously unthinkable ways. Those under consideration include - "chemical castration", which involves forced injection of chemicals which in effect induce depression; and "heroin vaccination", which means, forcibly injecting a substance which permanently renders someone unable to obtain the usual effects of heroin (though reports are mixed, with some versions suggesting that the proposal is to prescribe heroin). These kinds of measures are a vicious attack on the integrity of the human body, an abuse of medicine for purposes of social control.
Another measure is "alcohol rationing" - restricting the amount of alcohol an individual can buy (based on a similar scheme in Sweden). This kind of interference in individual consumption has previously only been attempted in contexts of actual scarcity. Presumably this would be enforced through the ID scheme, requiring everyone's alcohol consumption to be constantly recorded by the state.
Another is the plan to use "bounty hunters" - random, often violent individuals paid a reward for capturing fugitives. This system has led to extensive abuse in America, as bounty hunters have used no-questions-asked violent and inhumane tactics to capture targets - many of them minor "offenders" such as fine defaulters, others turning out to be the wrong person. It's basically a system of state-sanctioned vigilantism.
Psychological abuse of inmates by means of ritual humiliation is proposed. And further attacks on Muslims who wear the veil are also mooted, along with racist fearmongering about "clandestine" immigrants.
But the most disturbing of the proposals is forced microchip or RFID chip implanting. This has been mooted by opponents of ID for some time, as the logical endpoint of ID schemes. It would lead to a population which is permanently "bugged", trackable anywhere at any time - effectively denied personal autonomy.
Mainstream coverage:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/12/24/ucrime124.xml http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061224/wl_uk_afp/britainpoliticscrime_061224093407 http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=124314&version=1&template_id=38&parent_id=20
no police state