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  • The Atlantic

    My Pacemaker Is Tracking Me From Inside My Body

    Cloud-connected medical devices save lives, but also raise questions about privacy, security, and oversight. An <a href="http://objectsobjectsobjects.com">Object Lesson</a>.
    by Neta Alexander Jan 27, 2018 6 minutes
    Source: Neta Alexander / Ian Bogost / The Atlantic

    A month before turning 34, I received an unexpected birthday gift: a cloud-connected pacemaker. It sits in a tiny pocket in the left side of my chest, just above my heart. Silently and diligently, the device emits electrical pulses to make sure my heart rate never again plummets below 25 beats per minute.

    The idea of a battery-equipped, internet-connected device living forever inside my chest both terrifies and fascinates me. When people say, “I’ll die if I lose my iPhone,” they never mean it literally. But I really might die without this smart gadget. I’m also at risk in other ways. A wireless pacemaker can be hacked, or, as recently happened in Ohio, become legal evidence that incriminates its user.

    There is a crucial difference between my device and more ubiquitous digital technologies: I never made the choice to implant the pacemaker in my body. I’m grateful to the hardworking doctors who minimized my pain and helped me get better. At the same time, the device they installed raises questions that now haunt me.

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