If Microsoft has their way, we’ll all be a LOT more transparent than we are now.  This article talks about a patent recently filed by Microsoft for a biometric monitoring system. 

Using heart rate, brain scans, facial expressions, body movement, temperature, and other factors, the system would allow bosses to keep an eye on employee productivity and physical well-being.  Just like the Universal Soldiers in that movie…Universal Soldier.  Where the government jerks could see all the vitals of the soldiers (who were basically robots due to their conditioning and super strength and such).  Presumably, your boss won’t take this new system and send you on covert military missions.  But they might be interested in using it to see how much concentration or focus you have, or how much work you’re getting done. 

Getting stressed out during a project?  Yeah, the system would know it, and would alert your boss, and probably even offer some suggestions to you on how you might calm down.  Creepy. 

From the article:

The Information Commissioner, civil liberties groups and privacy lawyers strongly criticised the potential of the system for “taking the idea of monitoring people at work to a new level”. Hugh Tomlinson, QC, an expert on data protection law at Matrix Chambers, told The Times: “This system involves intrusion into every single aspect of the lives of the employees. It raises very serious privacy issues.”

Well, that’s a bit of an understatement.  Look, is it really my boss’s business if I have high blood pressure?  Or if I have indigestion?  I don’t think so.  There are only a handful of professions where this level of scrutiny is warranted (such as pilots or astronauts), but the article indicates that Microsoft intends this product for use in the mainstream work place. 

Yikes.  I’ve certainly worked for some penny-pinching corporations that would love to have this kind of fail-safe in place to ensure employee productivity–but I have a hard time believing that this system wouldn’t be challenged by unions as well as individuals.  I’m all for increasing how much work we get done, but not necessarily at the cost of privacy.  I want my boss to pay for my doctor visits (through insurance)…not to have access to my medical file! This patent filing from Microsoft kind of freaks me out a bit.  I don’t want to be anyone’s Universal Soldier.