On July 1, Google, Amazon, and Palantir pitched subdermal skin tracking implants to UK Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood in London, proposing offender monitoring solutions t to ease prison overcrowding, taking the world one step closer to a Hollywood-like dystopian reality.
The controversial “prison outside prison” concept would embed GPS chips under skin to track movements. The technology would allow AI to analyze behavior, granting Google, Amazon, and Palantir surveillance power under the pretense of rehabilitation.
The London meeting brought together some of the world’s biggest tech firms and senior government officials to ambitiously reimagine the delivery of British justice. In the UK, ministers are pushing for tech-driven justice reforms, but human rights groups are warning against the risks of normalizing invasive monitoring under the pretense of ‘public safety.’
American tech companies’ collaboration with the British Justice Ministry confirms experts worry concerning public safety and human rights. Even if an under skin tracking device may appear more controversially futuristic, tech giant CEOs argue that, with proper oversight and control, they can help build safer communities and more efficient justice.
Implant Trackers for Humans
The skin tracking device took center stage in the discussion with Secretary Shabana, where it was revealed it will be implanted beneath the skin to monitor offenders’ movements and behavior in real time.
“Deeper collaboration between government and tech to solve the prison capacity crisis, reduce reoffending and make communities safer,” said Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood.
Some other ideas involved the use of a subcutaneous tracker to assist in both physical and behavioral health monitoring, which would be employed alongside AI to assist in rehabilitation and reduce habit possibility.
An implant tracker for humans will, and has already raised ethical alarms, but UK ministers were keen to push into new territory.
Justice Secretary Mahmood urged businesses to improve existing tools, such as electronic tagging, and use technology not just for monitoring but to drive rehabilitation and cut crime.
Prisons Minister James Timpson referred to a “tech-led approach to justice,” with some even taking as far as proposing advanced biometric implants to recognize unique human traits, such as posture or movement patterns. The technology’s purpose is to be utilized to predict and prevent violence in high-risk environments like prisons.
Balancing Innovation with Ethics
Civil society’s response was less enthusiastic than that of the British ministers. Director of advocacy at Foxglove, Donald Campbell, called the proposals “alarmingly dystopian,” specifically the use of robots to track and control prisoners and computers to forecast future crimes.
During the meeting, there were cautionary words about how far technology needs to advance. It was suggested that the misuse of tools such as skin tracking implants has irreversible and negative results. Despite that, planning is underway. A follow-up session, referred to as an “innovation den,” will permit technology firms to present new ideas directly to ministers.
Justice Department sources framed discussions as “hypothetical talking points” about future justice systems, but civil rights groups say the government’s decision of a GPS tracker under the skin brings normalization of invasive monitoring.
Tech UK, the host of the event, defended the work, saying any reform of the justice system must be rooted in fairness, transparency, and public trust. The skin tracking device is among the most critical and most closely watched proposals on the table.
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