There is no technology that is inherently evil. Nuclear fission can either kill millions of people, or power millions of homes; a firearm can either indiscriminately take a life, or reliably save one; a microwave can either adversely affect your general biological welfare, or heat up a meal; etc. Its potential to either harm or benefit lies in how those who harness it apply it.

That said, all of this technology has positive uses. Iris scans add a reliable measure of access certification to keep unwanted people away from whatever is protected; RFID chips allow for a measure of convenience for manufacturers, managers and customers in the commercial process; automatic license plate readers can find your stolen car, or keep irresponsible and potentially dangerous drivers off the road that you and your family drive on; etc.

However, it is more often than not the case that the greater the potential benefit that the technology can yield, the greater the potential harm as well. Technology is clearly advancing in capability, but an argument can be made that most people are not becoming more responsible at the same pace (one can even say they are moving backwards in many ways), therefore the potential for harmful application exponentially increases. An interesting and seldom mentioned realization is that as this pattern continues it will inevitably lead to more government regulation of these technologies, though the government itself will not be prevented from fully utilizing them. Therefore, as technological capabilities increase, and government regulations follow, so will the size and strength of government generally increase, and its power over the people be extended. Yet, as the argument can be made that society is not progressing at the same pace as the progress of technological development, the same can be sad, even by the same reasoning, that government officials are not as wise and humble as they once were.

In a worst-case scenario we may see iris scans or license plate readers used to track down dissidents of tyrannical government regulations; RFID-type implants accompanying exclusivity policies for access to basic market functions (ie: education, health care, travel, buying and selling); etc. Through objective consideration of present conditions in our sociopolitical and economic environments, it is more than likely not a question of if but when such implementations will be realized.

Adiuva nos, Deus