From the February 2009 issue of the “science is culture” publication Seed magazine, not yet online:
Hypothesis: Civil Nanotechnology
Starting in 2009, nanotech-based sensing will enable a level of
environmental monitoring that could help reduce pollution tremendously. Such
devices could be of immense benefit to the environment, but unfortunately,
without careful attention they will trigger serious privacy and civil-liberty
concerns that will stymie environmental progress. Rather than
develop closed-source, proprietary sensing devices, we could instead design,
build, and operate devices based on open-source hardware and software—
devices which can detect only actual materials of concern, rather than
tracking the location and behavior of individuals or the presence of
non-pollutant materials (e.g., recreational drugs).
Christine Peterson is the founder and president of the Foresight Nanotech
For more info, see www.opensourcesensing.org.