There’s a story describing how to catch wild pigs. Step one is to scatter some corn in a field to attract them; this must be regularly repeated so that the pigs become accustomed to the offerings.

Step two is to install a single length of fencing in the field. After the pigs became used to the fence, another length would be attached at a ninety degree angle. When the pigs became habituated to the new arrangement, the process would be repeated, with the pigs now feeding in an area that is enclosed on three sides.

The last line of fencing would contain a large gate. When the pigs enter the enclosure to feed, the farmer closes the gate. The animals are now trapped, completely dependent on the farmer for their survival. The farmer meanwhile, now has a convenient source of food and income.

The bait and fence in this analogy have taken new and insidious forms. Governments and private industries are increasingly utilizing computer technologies to monitor and control our activities while providing digital services that, on the surface, make life easier. Rather than being baited with grain, internet users are tempted with convenience and rapid access to all the world has to offer. In exchange, bureaucrats and providers gain greater control over our lives.

Manufacturers are embedding so-called “smart” technologies in homes and appliances. These allow users to remotely control furnaces, air conditioners, and other appliances by using their phones. They also send user information back to their manufacturers, so convenience is accompanied by a loss of privacy and anonymity.

Internet service providers routinely track the websites their customers visit, and social media companies monitor the activities of their users. We exchange the loss of privacy and risks from hacking for the benefits of connectivity. We have become so accustomed to the conveniences of the digital universe that, when deprived of internet access, some people experience mental and even physical distress. Internet addiction has become a diagnosable ailment.

The bait has been placed and accepted, now it’s time to install the fence. This fence can be thought of as being formed by digital IDs, digital currencies, embedded microchips, and technologies such as “Neuralink”. 

Each successive side of the digital fence offers greater levels of convenience at the expense of escalating levels of intrusion and loss of privacy, security, and autonomy. They enable politicians, bureaucrats, and malicious individuals to gain access to our private information and monitor our movements, spending habits, speech, and acquaintances. 

The first level of control is that of the digital ID. These are centralized government databases containing detailed, personal and confidential information on every citizen. They hold data such as a person’s vaccination status and medical history, finances, shopping and travel habits, and interactions with law enforcement.

Storing this information in a centralized database allows operators to track and surveil an individual’s movements, restrict or freeze access to their accounts, exclude them from services, and discriminate against them through profiling. In the case of data breaches, data such as account numbers, passwords, social security, and driver’s license numbers can be compromised, leading to identity theft and tangible material losses.

In China and Canada, for example, digital IDs are used to monitor citizens’ vaccination statuses. The fully-vaccinated are allowed to move about freely while those who fall behind in their vaccination schedules may find themselves unable to access public transportation, restaurants, offices, or banks.

An enormous red flag is the fact that digital IDs are being enthusiastically promoted by such organizations as the World Economic Forum, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Open Society Foundations (George Soros), the United Nations Development Programme, and The World Bank.

The second fence in the digital prison is that of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). These are virtual, programmable mediums of exchange that permit the same type of monitoring and surveillance as digital IDs as well as allowing more granular control of national economies and individual finances. If all money is electronic and provided by the government there is no limit to the amount of control that officials could wield over people. Bureaucrats in government could impose excessively low and even negative interest rates, forcing citizens to spend or invest their earnings to avoid having them depleted by those rates. Negative interest rates can destroy private wealth.

Citizens who run afoul of their government might find individual purchases flagged, blocked, or reversed. The government could use CBDCs to encourage spending with some providers while discouraging or even preventing commerce with others. Money would become akin to food stamps in that it might be made valid only for certain types of purchases.

With the imposition of the third wall, the intrusion and loss of autonomy literally becomes invasive. Micro-chips, no bigger than a grain of rice, can be embedded under the skin. These subdermal chips contain Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) hardware that sends out an ID code in response to a signal from a scanner. They are normally inert, being activated by Near Field Communication (NFC) provided by the scanner.

Proponents of RFID chips tout advantages such as easier access to secure buildings, and the elimination of the need to remember passwords or carry cash or credit cards. Over 50,000 individuals world-wide have so far been implanted with these devices. They are reportedly very popular in Sweden.

Nevertheless, they present the same risks of surveillance, tracking, hacking, and data breaches as CBDCs and digital IDs, and they add additional dangers. For one, infections have sometimes resulted from implantation of these devices. More ominously, some organizations are beginning to have these devices implanted into their employees. This can provide greater security for the company but it is an egregious violation of privacy and individual liberty. Some states in the U.S. have already passed legislation that bans companies from forcing the implantation of RFID chips in their employees.

RFID chips can even be remotely reprogrammed. A hacker might conceivably need only shake hands with his victim in order to reprogram his RFID chip to download passwords and financial information. 

The final level of control could occur through devices such as Neuralink. This technology consists of microchips connected to Artificial Intelligence (AI) that are physically inserted into the brain. The possibilities read like science fiction. They may help the disabled to move and communicate, and might also one day allow memories to be downloaded, stored and then uploaded into a computer or artificial/robot body thus providing some semblance of immortality. Beyond that, they would allow the human brain to interface directly with the internet. One doctor even had this procedure done on himself.

If a person were to have instant, mental access to the internet he would have an insurmountable advantage over those who were not so equipped. This would have an incalculable impact on society, and the topic is worthy of a separate essay.

Neuralink has already received FDA approval and conducted a human trial. Implanting a chip that wirelessly connects a human’s brain to the internet opens up a world of possibilities for hackers. It may be susceptible to hacking and installation of malware which could affect neural functions. It may allow surveillance through direct access to a person’s thoughts and memories and possibly facilitate behavior modification.

Inserting electronic objects into the body, especially the brain, poses serious health risks that have not yet been fully studied. There are also ethical questions regarding autonomy, consent, and competitive advantage, and philosophical ones pertaining to the nature of free will.

As technology moves from conception to implementation, we are seeing the dangers of increasing levels of government control that threaten personal liberty, security and anonymity. Caution is required.

Here be dragons.

Image from Grok.