Al-Jazeera said that the global Internet of Things (IoT) market in healthcare is expected to grow to $446.52 billion by 2028, according to Fortune Business Insights. ) Recently.
The Internet of Bodies is an integral part of the Internet of Things. The emergence and development of this new term helped the presence of many devices specially designed for the human body, such as devices used to monitor physical fitness such as wristwatches, heart rate monitors, blood pressure measuring devices, microchips implanted in the body to monitor the functioning of the digestive system, brain stimulation devices, and others. Lots of tools and devices specially designed to monitor the movement and performance of the human body, which is treated as a computer system that can be monitored and reprogrammed.
The Internet of Bodies - with a simple definition - is the link between the devices inside and around the human body by providing a secure connection between them, and this connection transmits very important information and data about the state of the human body and its current and future health, which contributes to the treatment of many diseases or predicting their occurrence Before they occur, in addition to following up and diagnosing disease cases immediately and with extreme accuracy, as the “IOT for all” platform recently mentioned.
These torrents of data on everything from diets to social interactions can help improve preventive health care, increase employee productivity, and encourage people to become active participants in keeping themselves and their community healthy.
An artificial pancreas can, for example, automate and regulate insulin doses for diabetics, brain-computer interfaces can give amputees the ability to control prostheses with their minds, and smart diapers can alert parents via A special app for when their little one needs a change.
But despite its potential to revolutionize almost everything in improving our lives, our health and our ways of living, the Internet of Bodies can put our most intimate personal information at risk, and even our lives themselves.
The Wild West
A study conducted by the RAND Corporation recently revealed that this type of technology has the potential to improve human lives in countless ways, but it also contains many risks, as the study called for the need for strict legal policies and legislation that regulate the work of this technology. technology, in order to maximize the positive side and mitigate the risks and negatives that it can cause.
"When it comes to organizing the Internet of Bodies and the capabilities it has, it's the Wild West," said Mary Lee, a mathematician at the Foundation and lead author of the study.
"There are many benefits to these technologies that some argue are too great to be slowed down by politics, but we need to have a larger discussion about the cost of these benefits, and how we can avoid some of the risks altogether," she added.
The study's lead author explained, "Enormous amounts of data are being collected, and the regulations for this data are really vague... There is not a lot of clarity about who owns this data, how it is used, and even to whom it can be sold."
Mathematician Mary Lee and her colleagues examined the risks posed by IoT devices across three areas: data privacy, cybersecurity, and ethics.
data privacy
Internet of bodies devices already in use - and still under development - can track, record and store users' whereabouts and bodily functions, what they see and hear and even what they think, and according to researchers at the RAND Corporation, there are many unresolved questions about who owns The authority to access this data, and how they may use it.
Data collection can pose an inherent risk to privacy, depending on what is collected, how often it is collected, whether users have given prior consent to the process, and whether they can easily opt out or block companies from sell their data.
In this context, Mary Lee said, “There is a mixture of regulations in the United States, for example, that make it unclear how safe it is to use these devices .. There are no national regulations on data brokers, so these brokers may be able to sell your information to third parties, who can then create a profile of you, based on that sold data.”
For example, modern implantable pacemakers can provide continuous information about patients' heart fluctuations, and these devices can also regulate patients' heart rate, and can help treat heart failure, as these devices are implanted in The chest with insulated wires connected to the heart, and the transmitter in the patient's home transmits the data wirelessly to the doctor or hospital.
However, these devices can also be used to spy on the patient and use this data against him in the courts, as happened in one of the famous American cases that occurred with a heart patient who was accused of setting fire to his house in the hope of insurance. In that case, the data extracted from the device was used Pacemaker implanted in the chest of the accused to convict him in court.
security risks
IoT devices can be vulnerable to the same security flaws as IoT devices, or any other technology that stores information in the cloud, but due to the nature of IoT devices and the data they collect, the risks are much higher, as security vulnerabilities can allow third parties to It is not authorized to leak private information, tamper with data, or prevent users from accessing their accounts.
In the case of some implanted medical devices, hackers can manipulate the devices to cause serious bodily injuries that may lead to death, and the national security of states is also a source of concern, as it is possible through these devices to collect data on the leaders and leaders of countries that implant these devices in their bodies. And using it against them or knowing their whereabouts with extreme accuracy, in preparation for their liquidation or targeting them with terrorist operations.
Medical bracelets, watches, and smartphone applications can also track steps, heart rate, sleep patterns, and other physical data, such as the rate of alcohol consumption, and many devices also provide easy-to-use analytics, giving individuals a more comprehensive view of their health, and may help users identify health problems. And search for them in advance, and avoid them before they happen.
However, the volume of personal data these devices collect, security vulnerabilities, and the potential for user error can create unimaginable seriousness as companies, hackers, and even foreign adversaries can exploit users' data for financial or political gain.
digital grain
In 2017, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first digital tablet equipped with built-in sensors that record that the drug was taken on time, and these pills succeeded in treating schizophrenia, depression and some other mental and neurological disorders, which are cases Patients' adherence to timely treatment is crucial to prevent relapse.
Patients can give providers and doctors access to this information through a private portal on the Internet. This helps healthcare providers ensure that patients adhere to their treatment plans, but this comes at the cost of exposing healthcare providers' networks to hacking and attacks. e.
Data collected by digital pills also helps insurers monitor patients' adherence to their medications, and deny coverage to those who do not follow their prescribed medication regimen accurately.
Ethical concerns
Privacy and security risks are intrinsically ethical issues for the individuals whose data is compromised, but the Internet of Bodies raises more ethical concerns, including human inequality and threats to personal autonomy. And there are many people who do not have health insurance or even the ability to access the Internet, or do not have the money to buy these devices to treat themselves, and this means that the benefits of this technology will be limited to the rich people only.
There are billions of dollars pumped by wealthy people such as the head of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, and the head of Tesla, Elon Musk, into startup companies or to finance scientific and medical research aimed at “pirating” the human body by dealing with it. As a computer system whose programming can be changed, as various diseases, aging and even death are seen as a defect that can be repaired, and perhaps the results of these research and applications that result from them will be limited to those rich people who seek to prolong their lives, and renew their biological organs whenever they are damaged at a time when he does not find Millions of people pay the price of treatment for communicable or chronic diseases that they suffer from for a long time.
Because this technology is still in its infancy, there are still many fundamental questions about whether individuals own their personal data, have the right to opt-out of data collection, or ensure that this data and information is not used against them in the future, especially by countries and regimes. government, especially in authoritarian states.
Source: Al Jazeera
