Biohacking

doi:10.1016/j.tibtech.2018.02.011

Trends in Biotechnology

Volume 36, Issue 8, August 2018, Pages 744-747

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2018.02.011 Get rights and content

Biohacking is a do-it-yourself citizen science merging body modification with technology. The motivations of biohackers include cybernetic exploration, personal data acquisition, and advocating for privacy rights and open-source medicine. The emergence of a biohacking community has influenced discussions of cultural values, medical ethics, safety, and consent in transhumanist technology.

Section snippets

Implantable Technologies

Commercial or homemade implants are commonly inserted to the body via hypodermic needles or surgical incision. A common feature of these implants is that they are coated with a layer that reduces the immune reaction (bioproofing). These protective coatings include cylindrical medical-grade borosilicate glass capsules, Parylene C, polytetrafluoroethylene, titanium nitride, and silicone. Table 1 lists implants used by biohackers.

Safety Implications

Medical devices need to be sterilized before implantation to the body to kill pathogens. Sterilization of implants can be achieved by autoclaving or submerging them in antiseptic solutions. Implants having an antiremoval coating (e.g., BioBond) attaches to the subcutaneous tissue to prevent device migration in the body. This antimigration cap consists of a porous polypropylene sheath, which promotes the growth of fibrocytes and collagen fibers around the device. Their removal is an invasive

Privacy Concerns

The increasing systematic use of personal data surveillance (überveillance) in the investigations or mass monitoring of citizens by law enforcement agencies is a significant concern among biohackers [13]. This may involve real-time geotagging of an individual’s location and activities. The biohacking community actively discusses mass surveillance implications of implantable devices that may be used to control citizens. For example, in 2017, Ross Campton of Ohio was convicted of arson and

The Rise of Open Medicine

The implications of experimenting with implants and the development of new applications are immense to broader communities. Biohacking also raises questions about the limits of medical data privacy, and it opens up the possibility of cryptography use for medical data storage. The motivations of biohackers are aligned with the healthcare advocates who want patients to access their own implant-generated data, which are considered proprietary by device manufacturers [14]. Citizen scientists who

Acknowledgments

The author thanks Lepht Anonym, Paul Turrell, Amal Graafstra, and Ryan O’Shea for discussions.

Disclaimer Statement

The author does not endorse or recommend any material, equipment, or procedures discussed in this article. Licensed medical professionals may perform the procedures described in this article. The author declares no competing financial interests.

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View full text

Trends in Biotechnology

Science & SocietyBiohacking

Section snippets

Implantable Technologies

Safety Implications

Privacy Concerns

The Rise of Open Medicine

Acknowledgments

Disclaimer Statement

Exp. Toxicol. Pathol.

Epidermal electronics

Science

The Quantified Self: a Sociology of Self-Tracking

Transhumanism: some practical possibilities

FIfF-Kommunikation

Invasive neural prosthesis for neural signal detection and nerve stimulation

Int. J. Adapt. Control Signal Process.

The emergence of art-science

BMJ

Science & Society
Biohacking