There have been a few anti-nanotech protest recently. It is hardly surprising given the best efforts of groups like ETC to link nanotech with biotech. The latest by a group called THRONG targeted Harry Swan of Thomas Swan and Co, a UK carbon nanotube (amongst other things) producer.
We would think that an organized group of people that have the time to go around handing out cans of worms, might have the time to maybe read, research, and possibly understand the subject that has them all riled up. But alas this is not the case.
We especially liked this tasty morsel: The same greedy corporations who messed with the genetic basis of life are now seeking to alter and privatize nature right down to the atomic level, explained THRONG spokesangel Pandora Spocks. We want to warn companies attending this conference that getting into nanotech is really not a clever idea for society or their business.
Hmmm… alter and privatize nature anybody got a clue about what Ms. Spocks might be talking about at least it comes to nanotechnology?
It is a pity that Mr Swan has been targeted, as Thomas Swan and Co is one of the companies deeply committed to understanding the risks associated with nanomaterials. If the protestors had done some homework, they could have found many other companies more deserving of a can of worms award.
With any new technology, pressure groups are bound to raise concerns, and that is the sign of a healthy democracy. However the problem is that despite the best efforts of various boosters, there really is no nanotechnology industry for groups to target action against. Thomas Swans nanotubes wont be ending up in our food any time soon, despite the muddled efforts of groups like Foresight and ETC to confuse nanotechnology with other unrelated issues.
Worth noting is the speed with which various nanotech pundits from the UK think tank Demos, to the increasingly confused Howard Lovy, copied and pasted from the statement that was mailed to just about every publicly available nanotech address. Are these sites reporters or repeaters?