Brussels, 18/03/2005 (Agence Europe) - In an opinion on electronic implants returned on 16 March by the European Group on Ethics (EGE), chaired by the Swedish philosopher Göran Hermeren, has proposed an ethical framework for the use of chips and other types of implants using information technology. The EGE feels that the use of these implants for medical purposes can be justified, but that it must be subject to clear consent from the patient, who must be duly informed not only of the benefit/risk assessment but also of the risk that these technologies may be used to locate people or to obtain information stored in the devices which could then be given to third parties. According to the EGE, the use of this kind of implant to control a person from a distance must be strictly forbidden. As for non-medical applications, such as surveillance, the group feels that these must be authorised only by the legislator and as justified by imperative needs in a democratic society and in the absence of a less intrusive method.