The civil rights issues of 2025

03/24/13 22:33:00    

By Michael Mealling

I'll be 44 in April so in 2025 I'll be 56. I'm one of those strange people that plans on embracing the ability to augment myself with the latest technology. Whether its LCD contact lenses or synthetic telepathy, the next 12 years will start to see some of the more fantastic applications of biology and electronics begin to become available.

The first mainstream example Google's Glass.

There is a trope in science fiction where humans with enhancement are feared and ostracized by the unenhanced. Are we seeing the opening chapters of that trope playing out now?

West Virginia may ban Google Glass before it is released.. West Virginia has very strict rules about using devices while driving a car. How will they respond when the devices are embedded in us? How can you turn your eyes off?

Scientist Says McDonald's Staff Tried To Pull Off His Google-Glass-Like Eyepiece, Then Threw Him Out is an example of individuals reacting in ways reminiscent of past types of discrimination. One can easily imagine the employees saying something like “Your kind aren't wanted here”.

Indeed, that has already happened in a Seattle bar. It is obvious when someone is wearing a pair of Google Glasses. But what happens when its embedded in the eye? Will those who have been augmented be forced to wear something indicating their status? Will there be “augmented free” places and services we will be barred from by law?

Will this be the civil rights issue of 2025?