Elizabeth Moon: “Barcode Everyone At Birth”

Freedom loving individuals would have been horrified to hear American
science fiction writer Elizabeth Moon go off on a 60 second rant about
why it would be a good thing to barcode everyone at birth on a recent
BBC radio program.

Speaking on the “60 second idea” feature on the BBC, Moon said:

“If I were empress of the Universe I would insist on every
individual having a unique ID permanently attached – a barcode if you
will; an implanted chip to provide an easy, fast inexpensive way to
identify individuals. It would be imprinted on everyone at birth. Point
the scanner at someone and there it is.”

“Having such a unique barcode would have many advantages. In war
soldiers could easily differentiate legitimate targets in a population
from non combatants. This could prevent mistakes in identity, mistakes
that result in the deaths of innocent bystanders. Weapons systems would
record the code of the use, identifying how fired which shot and leading
to more accountability in the field.”

“Anonymity would be impossible as would mistaken identity making
it easier to place responsibility accurately, not only in war but also
in non-combat situations far from the war.”