Biohacking Research Paper

One point six million American adults have diabetes; there is no cure, only ways to manage, but when it comes to the impoverished Americans, they are left with the deadly choice to ration insulin while prices rise. However, there is a community working to benefit the public referred to as biohackers. More specifically, biohackers are defined as enhancing medical tech, life in general, gene editing, and much more. However, with numerous government regulations provided by the FDA alongside intellectual property laws, big corporations fill the space worried with quarterly revenue reports rather than helping the ill. Allowing biohackers to operate without government oversight or regulation ensures the common person provides societal advancement without profit concerns. 

At the core of biohacking lies an important ideology beneficial for the common person, primarily when big bio relies on shareholders' profit. "Evil corporations entered science and changed the rules of the game," (Hacking genomes. The ethics of open and rebel biology, Alessandro Delfanti). Scientists and corporations hide behind intellectual property laws advancements hindering access to the public. Corporations fully understand this so do biohackers which is why they are trying to change the game. "Biohackers are rebel scientist and open access advocates who challenge today's Big Bio's concentration of power," (Hacking genomes. The ethics of open and rebel biology). This could one day lead to a change of the balance of power primarily through genetic biohacking. "Biohacking activities are diverse and include...to treat HIV or herpes," (Finding a Regulator Balance for Genetic Biohacking). Currently, HIV nor herpes has a cure only way to hide away the symptoms, their effects, and preventing the spread. However, the day a cure is found, biohackers can guarantee its opensource rather than hidden by intellectual property laws. "Hacker…define the ethics…all information should be free," (Tweaking genes in your garage: biohacking between activism and entrepreneurship). In essence, biohackers will ensure their breakthrough remain public rather than concern themselves with corporate greed because no one should worry about the price of life-saving technology in the twenty-first century. 

Regulation will lead to the benefits of protecting the people at large while keeping intellectual property safe. Already the government has placed either a ban or enough restriction to ensure biohackers cannot work on some technological advancements. "Federal law effectively prohibiting research with human embryos that are modified or created to include a heritable genetic modification," (Finding a Regulator Balance for Genetic Biohacking). Rightfully so, the U.S. federal government is ensuring its citizenry cannot advance their family genetically, making them hyper-intelligent or how Marvel cinematic universe portrays their super soldiers. Nevertheless, biohacking's dangerous nature does not stop there, especially when the biohacking mantra is an open ideology for free information. This sets a dangerous precedent, especially in the modern century, where access to the internet is far and wide to most first-world country residents. "The ability of non-scientist to create and deploy a biological weapon highlight the emergence of a new threat, the 'biohacker'", (The Biohacker; A Threat to National Security). Throughout U.S. history, the laity has stricken the country with biological weapons. "2001 anthrax letters, the 2013 ricin letters illustrated a translation in BW production from the trained individual to the layman," (The Biohacker; A Threat to National Security). "Yet the same technology used by a benign biohacker could easily be transformed into a tool for the disgruntled and disenfranchised," (The Biohacker; A Threat to National Security). Looking back to the dangerous day of January sixth twenty-twenty, one where far-right terrorist stormed the U.S. capital. Imagine if someone in the crowd was a biohacker. The loss of life that could have occurred is unthinkable. Nevertheless, the thought must leave intelligent officials far and wide in developed nations to develop when the next strike could happen and how to prevent it. 

Although arguments coined by intellectuals out under the status quo try to make a compelling case, it does not outweigh the benefits. Even with current regulation, biohacking has been able to operate without alarming public government oversight. However, even with the public not being alerted with government investigations into the subject, a threatening reference referred early in the essay by West Point in two thousand in fourteen in correlation referring biohacking as a threat to national security. With such an alarming report, it is not ridiculous to infer the U.S. government's top military academy mindset already made the longevity of biohacking inside the U.S. is on thin ice. Moreover, when corporate interest understands how disastrous their profit will become, nothing will stop them from ending the U.S. experiment of biohacking. Nevertheless, the effects across the board must be recognized. "Group's instruction manual for creating an epinephrine autoinjector at home, the EpiPenicl," (Finding a Regulator Balance for Genetic Biohacking). It does not stop either, especially when the FDA regulation causes more harm within its rules. "Cost of FDA regulation include delayed access to or underinvestment in the development of medical interventions, which has led some patients and their family members to contact biohackers for help," (Finding a Regulator Balance for Genetic Biohacking). The thought of families having to contact strangers due to their government's failure is a sad fact that must be faced. However, through this tragic fact, biohacking is a way out of government failure and corporate greed. The biohacking community will be the one to ensure beneficial and safe information falls into the hands of the people who desperately need it under the status quo. 

Biohackers can become the backbone of global advancement towards better societal technology. By ensuring prescription drugs can be free and corporate profits are not the concern for helping the public. It is time regulation towards biohackers is repealed at once. If not, the public will be stuck under this dangerous status quo, and the world cannot free itself from corporate interest to ensure the common person is protected rather than profits.