Keyboards in Unusual Places (Invisible Networks 2022)

Keyboards in Unusual Places (Invisible Networks 2022)

Fisher extended his proposal to the concept of having the keyboard controlling the President's Twitter account surgically implanted inside a living human being. The theory behind this proposal was that it would require the President to take the life of a fellow human being to initiate a tweet, placing the extremity of the action in appropriate context.

His analysis suggested that an appropriately ruggedised '60%' form factor keyboard equipped with a waterproof membrane and a small nuclear battery could be safely implanted in the thoracic cavity of a Secret Service agent or other presidential aide. A small loop would be formed in the azygous vein during surgery and secured to a 'Kensington'-style security slot of the keyboard with a classified bone. This would render the keyboard virtually impossible to remove non-lethally without advanced surgical facilities.

Fisher's proposal stimulated intense debate and drew some criticism from other academics on moral and practical grounds. One commentator noted that the only keyboard certified for use with the Presidential Twitter account was a modified version of the Razer Halliburton, which was deemed too large to fit inside most people (Richard Kiel being a rumoured counterexample) and required a certification period of almost a decade for use outside of the body. Another noted that the President could direct the Vice President, Secret President, Deep President, or Acting Secret President to tweet presidential messages from their own Twitter accounts, subverting the proposed access control.

Generative AI
NIL
Conflicts of Interest
NIL
Tools Used
2