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Ethical Aspects of ICT Implants in the Human Body
Rafael CapurroEuropean Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE) de la
Comisión Europea: EGE Opinion, March 16, 2005:http://europa.eu.int/comm/european_group_ethics/index_en.htm
Universidad de Ciencias Aplicadas, Stuttgart, Alemania www.capurro.de Workshop de Bioética en la Universidad de Talca
24-26 de enero de 2005, Talca, Chile
Rafael Capurro: Ethical Aspects of ICT Implants 2
Overview
EGE: Tasks and OpinionsICT Implants in the Human Body:
Categorisation of implantable devices Implantable devices on the market Implantable devices under development
Ethical Aspects of ICT ImplantsEthics and Public Policy
Rafael Capurro: Ethical Aspects of ICT Implants 3
The European Group on Ethics (EGE)
The EGE is an independent, pluralist and multitisciplinary body which advises the European Commission on ethical aspects of science and new technologies in connection with the preparation and implementation of Community legislation or policies.
Rafael Capurro: Ethical Aspects of ICT Implants 4
EGE Members (2001-2005)
1. Prof. Göran HERMERÉN (Sweden), President, Philosopher, Professor of Medical Ethics, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University.
2. Prof. Linda NIELSEN (Denmark), Vice-President, Professor of Law, Rector of the University of Copenhagen. Prof. Nicos C. ALIVIZATOS (Greece), Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Athens. Prof. Rafael CAPURRO (Germany), Professor of Information Management and Information Ethics at University of Applied Sciences. Prof. Inez DE BEAUFORT (The Netherlands), Professor of Health Care Ethics at the Medical Faculty of the Erasmus University, Rotterdam. Prof. Yvon ENGLERT (Belgium), Head of Fertility Clinic, Free University of Brussels (ULB), Professor of Medical Ethics and Deontology, ULB. Prof. Catherine LABRUSSE-RIOU (France), Centre de recherche en droit privé, Université de Paris. Dr. Anne McLAREN (United Kingdom), Geneticist, Research Associate at Wellcome CRC Institute, Cambridge. Prof. Pere PUIGDOMÈNECH ROSELL (Spain), Research Professor at the Department for Molecular Genetics, Director of Institut de Biologia Molecular de Barcelona, CSIC Prof. Stefano RODOTA (Italy), Professor of Civil Law, University of Rome, Chairman of the Italian Data Protection Authority, Chairman of the European Group of the Data Protection Authorities. Prof. Günter VIRT (Austria), Professor of Theology, Institute of Catholic Moral Theology, University of Vienna. Prof. Peter WHITTAKER (Ireland), Biologist, Professor of Biology, Institute of Environment, Philosophy and Public Policy, University of Lancaster, Furness College.
Rafael Capurro: Ethical Aspects of ICT Implants 6
EGE Secretariat
Dr. Michael D. Rogers, European Commission, BERL 10/345, rue de la Loi 200, B-1049 Brussels, Belgium.
EGE-Website: europa.eu.int/comm/european_group_ethics
EGE-Newsletter "Ethically Speaking": providing also information on the activities of the National Ethics Committees.
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Opinions 2001-2005
Opinion n. 16 (2002)Ethical aspects of patenting inventions involving human stem cells
Opinion n. 17 (2003)Ethical aspects of clinical research in developing countries
Opinion n. 18 (2003)Ethical aspects of genetic testing in the workplace
Opinion n. 19 (2004)Ethical aspects of cord blood stem cells banks
Opinion n. 20 (2005)Ethical Aspects of ICT implants in the human body
Rafael Capurro: Ethical Aspects of ICT Implants 8
Categorisation of ICT Implants
Implantable devices can be categorised as: medical non-medical
Both as: passive active
Reversible or non reversible Stand-alone or online ICT implants and tags
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Implantable passive ICT medical devices
Most passive implants are structural devices such as artificial joints vascular implants artificial valves
Active medical implantable devices Directive 90/385/EEC
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Current active medical ICT implants
Cardiovascular pacers for patients with conduction disorders or heart failure
Cochlear and brainstem implants for patients with hearing disorders Deep brain stimulation
for tremor control in patients with Parkinson's disease for essential tremor for obsessive-compulsive disorders
Implantable Neurostimulation Devices Spinal cord stimulation for chronic pain management Sacral nerve stimulation for control of urinary incontinence Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) for seizure control in epilepsy and mood control
in severe depression cases Implantable programmable drug delivery pumps Intrathecal administration of Baclofen for patients with Multiple Sclerosis
with severe spasticity Insulin pump for Diabetes
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Future medical ICT implants
Artificial vision: Cortical implant for the blind: bypassing the non-working retina
or optic nerve BioMEMS: Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems /
Biosensors on the order of size of a human red blood cell collect data about the physiological parameters, communicate
with an external diagnostic computer system (drug release, blood analysis, recovering cancer patients…)
Direct Brain Control: BCI (Brain Computer Interfaces): BrainGate™: www.cyberkineticsinc.com
Memory BrainChip (artificial hippocambus) an implantable brain chip could restore or enhance memory
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Other medical ICT implants/prostheses
The German company Otto Bock Healthcare produces prostheses like the „C-Leg“ which is a chip-controlled leg. See: http://www.ottobock.de/de
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Implantable Non-Medical Devices
Passive devices: An example of a passive device is the radio frequency identification (RFID) device.
Active devices use electrical impulses to interact with the human’s nervous system.
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Baja Beach Club
http://www.bajabeach.es/„Somos la primera discoteca del mundo
en ofrecer el VIP VeriChip. Mediante un chip digital integrado, nuestros VIPs pueden identificarse como tal, así como pagar sus consumiciones sin la necesidad de aportar ningún tipo de documento.“
Rafael Capurro: Ethical Aspects of ICT Implants 15
Baja Beach Club
„El objetivo de esta tecnología es llevar un sistema de identificación a nivel mundial que anule la necesidad de llevar documento de identidad y tarjeta de crédito. El Verichip que implantaremos en el Baja, no será sólo para el Baja, también es útil para cualquier otra empresa que haga uso de esta tecnología.“
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Other non-medical applications
Experiments as reported by Kevin Warwick (Department of Cybernetics,University of Reading, UK)
In Mexico (August 2004) microchips were implanted in the arms of the Fiscal General and 160 Fiscal‘s employees to control their access to a confidential documentation centre and possibly track them in case of kidnapping.
Rafael Capurro: Ethical Aspects of ICT Implants 17
Other non-medical applications
The UK Prime Minister announced (August 2004) a programme whereby the five thousand dangerous UK criminals would be „tagged“ with electronic devices and thereby „tracked“ continuously.
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Other non-medical applications
In the Japanese prefecture of Wakayama (Osaka) children will use RFID-labels for entering school (2004).
TraceCare (Wiesbaden, Germany) offers devices that allow to find the position of a person via internet through a Global Positioning System (GPS).
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Other non-medical applications
The Bavarian company Ident Technology offers tracking devices using the human body (particularly the skin) as digital data transmitter. See: http://www.ident-technology.com
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Other non-medical applications
Microsoft patent Number 6,754,472 June 22, 2004 concerns the human body as a medium for transmission of data (or energy) to „other devices“ like PDAs, cellular phones, medical devices, RFID, making possible to localize persons. The patent does not describe any specific device.
Rafael Capurro: Ethical Aspects of ICT Implants 21
Future personal tracking devices
Integration and miniaturization of three technologies: www.digitalangel.com Biosensor: read a person‘s vital signs by touching the
skin (implanted into a wristwatch) Pager device: takes the data from the biosensor by
using a cellular packet module Position location technology: using radio signal to stay
in contact with a person‘s pager device-> this information is sent through cellular data packets to
a data centre (Digital Angel™)-> The first Digital Angel was launched in November 2001-> Medical emergency purposes-> Identification/Location purposes
Rafael Capurro: Ethical Aspects of ICT Implants 22
Legal Background
Universal Declaration of Human Rights EU Charter of Fundamental Rights of 2000 Convention on Human Rigts and Biomedicine of
the Council of Europe EU Directives European Constitution, National Constitutions
-> providing that the human body and its parts shall not give rise to financial gain (Principle of human dignity)
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Ethical Aspects of ICT Implants
Anthropological background: The unity of biological and psychic (intellectual,
emotional) functions The body and the environment Social aspects Creativity, cultural aspects
Some characteristics of ICT devices: Chips (silicon, bio-chips) algorithms
Rafael Capurro: Ethical Aspects of ICT Implants 24
Ethical Aspects of ICT Implants
Fundamental ethical principles: Human Dignity Privacy (data protection) Autonomy Confidentiality
Ethical conflict(s): to reduce freedom and autonomy vs. Increase health, security…
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Ethical Aspects of ICT Implants
In case of medical applications:Prohibition of eugenic practicesRespect of the informed consent of the
patientProhibition of making the human body and
its parts a source of financial gain
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Ethical Aspects of ICT Implants
In case of non-medical applications: Privacy and surveillance Exclusionary practices Practices of domination Practices of privacy invasion
-> How far will ICT Implants (and tags) enlarge our individual and social choices and how far will they create a situation of social discrimination?
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Ethical Aspects of ICT Implants
In case of enhancement(s) What does it mean to „enhace“ human beings? What does „perfectibility“ mean? Are ICT enhancements necessarily a new form
of racism? -> the „post-human“ debate How clear is the distinction between therapeutic
applications and enhancements?
Rafael Capurro: Ethical Aspects of ICT Implants 28
Ethics and Public Policy: Historical Roots
The relation between ethics, law, and public policy has a long tradition in Western thought and practice going back to Plato’s “Nomoi” (722d) where he stresses the importance of “introductions” (proimia) that should used in order to make laws more understandable and acceptable to the citizens. Aristotle makes a difference between individual and political virtues. Political and legal practice are supposed to rest on ethical counselling on the basis of morality (ethos).
Rafael Capurro: Ethical Aspects of ICT Implants 29
Ethics and Public Policy: Historical Roots
Since Modernity, and particularly since Thomas Hobbes, there is not just a difference but a split between morality, law and public policy.
Since Hegel through Pierce and Rorty there is a (pragmatic) search for overcoming it.
Today’s mass media and particularly the internet have created new forms of mediation without eliminating the differences.
Rafael Capurro: Ethical Aspects of ICT Implants 30
Ethics and Public Policy: Ethics Councils
Ethics councils within the sphere of public policy have the function of reflecting on the moral and legal foundations of specific controversial issues without being itself neither a legal nor a moral authority.
Their task is reflection, not decision-making or dogmatic proclamation.
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Ethics and Public Policy: Ethics Councils
They should counterbalance ethical arguments and give an opinion on matters that remain controversial and subject to revision.
Today’s public policy has a need for such counsels particularly with regard to new developments in science and technology.
Rafael Capurro: Ethical Aspects of ICT Implants 32
Ethics and Public Policy: Ethics Councils
Of course, such ethics bodies are not unproblematic not only concerning their legitimating body – in some cases it is the parliament, in other cases the executive –, but also with regard to possible controversial standpoints that may differ with present laws and/or directives.
Rafael Capurro: Ethical Aspects of ICT Implants 33
Ethics and Public Policy: Ethics Councils
In other words, it is important that such bodies are politically independent, pluralist, and multidisciplinary and that they view themselves not just as guarantee of an established morality or of current law, but as a critical space where an open debate on legally and morally controversial issues can take place.
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Ethics and Public Policy: Ethics Councils
Although they might look for consensual opinions, consensus should not be a conditio sine qua non of their proposals. It is also not their function to make public policy ‘more moral,’ but to encourage ethical reflection within the public sphere.
Rafael Capurro: Ethical Aspects of ICT Implants 35
Ethics and Public Policy: Ethics Councils
Most European and non-European national and international ethics committees have been created in the nineties.
UNESCO’s International Bioethics Committee (IBC) was created in 1993. The Steering Committee on Bioethics of the Council of Europe dates from 1992.
US President George W. Bush created The President’s Council on Bioethics on the basis of the Executive Order 13237 from November 28, 2001 (http://www.bioethics.gov/).
Most national and international ethics committees are in fact (until now) committees on bioethics. The EGE is the first international committee with a broader scope.
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Ethics and Public Policy: Further Reading
Rafael Capurro:
- Ethics and Public Policy within a Digital Environment. In: I. Alvarez, T. W. Bynum, J.A. de Assis Lopes, S. Rogerson (Eds.): The Transformation of Organisations in the Information Age: Social and Ethical Implications, ETHICOMP 2002, Lisboa 2002, 319-327. Online: http://www.capurro.de/ethicomp02.html
- Ethics Between Law and Public Policy. In: Journal of International Biotechnology Laws (JIBL) Vol. 1, Issue 2 / 2004, 62-66.Online: http://www.degruyter.de/rs/280_7046_DEU_h.htm
- Ethik in Europa zwischen Forschung und Politik. In: Wissenschaftszentrum Nordrhein-Westfalen ed. Jahrbuch 2002/2003, 200-211.
- Online: http://www.capurro.de/wznrw.html
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