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In an interesting technical development, successful experiments on implantable chips that deliver medicine to the body are reported to have been carried out on rats. They are expected to be used on humans in future. These implantable microchips are expected to replace needles and complicated drug regimens some day in future.

The chip, fingernail-sized, attached to a battery and wrapped in titanium  would be inserted just under the skin, likely in the abdomen. It contains hundreds of tiny reservoirs which would be filled by a drug, or several drugs. Software would instruct the chip when and how much of each drug to release, automatically and precisely. The technology will make drugs  management of drugs easier and  more effective. Patients suffering from diabetes, who require daily injections, and HIV/AIDS, who require a complicated daily regimen of several medications are the possible beneficiaries.

Obviously this development means that an "intelligent, pre programmed computing device" would take control of a person's health. If properly managed it could be fine. If it malfunctions, then it could be harmful and fatal to the person.

There will also be issues whether the functions of the chip would be controlled remotely? If so can the chip be hacked? or virus contaminated? by an electronic pulse from outside? If so, we have a new element of Cyber Crime taking birth. In this case the crime could even lead to murders.

This development underscores the complexity of Cyber Law development in the coming days. Drafting and interpreting Cyber laws will be much more complex than they are today since the cyber environment is spreading wider and deeper.

Naavi

 May 21, 2002

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