There are many potential future social harms associated with incorporating technology into global health programmes. No one has been a bigger driving force behind this phenomenon than Bill Gates and the Gates Foundation (GF). The GF have remained steadfast in their views that use of technology is essential in their efforts to combat global health crises. The problem is many of these technological innovations are extremely unethical and often resemble something from a science fiction movie.
In 2019, the Scientific American reported that researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) had developed a method of embedding personal vaccination records into the skin of children using a special type of dye (Weintraub, 2019). The dye is invisible, but can be observed on mobile phone screens through filters via an app or under infrared light. The dye is thought to last under the skin for up to five years. Although no trials or testing have been conducted on human subjects yet, the rate at which technology is being integrated into global health issues in the modern world makes this development particularly worrisome.
The main justification for use of this technological vaccine is to provide a more effective method of accessing vaccination records in the developing world. The technology came about due to a “direct request from the Gates Foundation and Bill Gates” (Weintraub, 2019) who has claimed it to be a necessary tool to gather essential data on children in developing countries. This would aid in tracking patients’ vaccination status and help to eradicate diseases such as polio and measles.
Justifying the use of such an unethical technological innovation under the pretence of good intentions is an extremely dangerous area of philanthropy which borders on being anti-democratic. The technology poses several potential harms that are being overlooked by many who promote such technologies. Human life cannot be considered an extension of data. The psychological effect on the human mind of what can essentially amount to being ‘branded’ is not yet known and could be a problematic area. The fact that the technology was designed for use in children also seems extremely unethical and could have detrimental effects on a child’s progress into adulthood. Privacy surrounding medical information would be another major concern.
Recent developments regarding invisible ink vaccines mean the technology is already being considered as a feasible option in future vaccination programmes. Another name for this innovation is ‘microneedle patches’ (McHugh et al, 2019), which deliver the ink through tiny needles attached to patches, rather than traditional syringes. Microneedles are now in development stages for a range of vaccines including polio, measles, and rubella. More recently, they have been recommended for use with Covid-19 mRNA vaccines (vander Straeten et al., 2023). Why am I not surprised? The GF have been pivotal in this process, giving $6 million to Micron Biomedical, Inc. for further development and testing of the technology (Gatesfoundation.org, 2019). The foundation’s association with such radical technological innovations are a potential source of vaccine hesitancy and a wide number of conspiracy theories which emerged during the pandemic, accusing Gates of trying to implement “microchips” into vaccines (Wakefield, 2019).
Bill Gates is one of the most influential globalists out there and if this technology came about with funding and a direct request from him, you can bet that this is a global agenda that has long been planned and is being implemented slowly.
References and other links:
Gatesfoundation.org (2019). Micron Biomedical, Inc. Available at: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/about/committed-grants/2019/11/inv002311 (Accessed 14th August, 2023)
McHugh, K. J. et al (2019). ‘Biocompatible near-infrared quantum dots delivered to the skin by microneedle patches record vaccination’, Science Translational Medicine, 11, (523).
DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aay7162
Vander Straeten, A., Sarmadi, M., Daristotle, J.L. et al. (2023). ‘A microneedle vaccine printer for thermostable COVID-19 mRNA vaccine’, Nature Biotechnology. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-023-01774-z
Wakefield, J. (2020). How Bill Gates became the voodoo doll of Covid conspiracies. BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-52833706 (Accessed 17th August, 2023)
Weintraub, K. (2019). Invisible Ink Could Reveal Whether Kids have Been Vaccinated. Scientific American Available at: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/invisible-ink-could-reveal-whether-kids-have-been-vaccinated/ (Accessed 30th June, 2022)
