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OB OY Le VEN? NEW APP HELPS REPORT “SUSPICIOUS” ACTIVITY he West Virginia branch of the Department of Homeland Security, in association with the West Virginia governor's office, recently unveiled a new mobile app called the INGESTIBLE MICROCHIPS TO MONITOR HEALTH Prame chain Lloydspharmacy has partnered with American echnology firm Proteus Biomedical to bring to the British public a product called Helius, a_ tiny microchip that is swallowed in pill form and whose purpose is to help remind patients to take their medications on time and to offer biofeedback such as body temperature, heart rate and even sleeping Aathaens app Suspicious Activity Reporting Application. The interface is simple. After informing you that you should dial 911 for an actual emergency and asking if you want to submit your geolocation information, the app is basically a camera unction. You can annotate he image you capture with date and location (if you didn't enable the auto-geolocation unction), additional details like a "subject's" name, gender, eye colour, airstyle and more, and vehicle information if applicable. You can submit your own information, allowing the authorities 0 contact you, or choose to submit it anonymously. You don't have to affirm that you ave evidence of a crime, or even a suspected crime, to send information o the West Virginia Intelligence Fusion Center. Nor is it clear how to Va patterns. The microchip, which becomes active when subjected to water, can be either embedded directly in regular medication pills or placed in a placebo. In either case, the microchip, or "ingestible event marker" (IEM) as Proteus calls it, is powered by a thin-film non-toxic battery. Once activated, the IEM sends a iny, uniquely modulated, high- requency electrical signa hroughout the body, using the body as a conduit, thus no radio frequency is used. Instead, a patch is applied o the skin on the outside of the body to listen for bodily interactions with the electrical signal, allowing or measurement of the heartbea’ rate, internal body temperature, respiration rate, posture and sleeping patterns. All of this information is relayed via a smartphone app to a website tha provides statistics in graph form. What's not clear is how long the microchip operates inside the body, and what happens to it once it dies. s it digested, or is it flushed out into he sewer system wholly intact? And if it's flushed, what happens to all hose millions of chips that wind up in sewage treatment facilities? Source: MedicalXpress.com, 18 January 2012, http://tinyurl.com/7eopk6z) ion pe ieieeiene! enneni date and location (if you didn't long the Fusion Center can keep enable the auto-geolocation information on US citizens or unction), additional details like a persons sent to it through the app. "subject's" name, gender, eye colour, In other words, there's nothing in airstyle and more, and vehicle the app to stop you from snapping a information if applicable. picture of your annoying neighbour You can submit your own and sending it to the attention of information, allowing the authorities federal and state counterterrorism o contact you, or choose to submit it agents in West Virginia, who can anonymously. eep information on your You don't have to affirm that you neighbour's face, body and perhaps ave evidence of a crime, or even a __ his vehicle for an unspecified period suspected crime, to send information of time. o the West Virginia Intelligence (Source: Wired.com, 2 March 2012, Fusion Center. Nor is it clear how _ http://tinyurl.com/6uv6t7!) Somerviffe “There’s a new series on TV: Rupert Murdoch is the captain of an intergalactic starship whose mission is to search for a planet where newspapers are still thriving.” own 6 * NEXUS APRIL - MAY 2012 www.nexusmagazine.com