One of the things that any anti-nano groups immediately pick up on is the statement from the NSF many moons ago about using nanotechnology to improve human performance. For a long time this was just a fantasy of people who spent far to much time watching Star Trek when they were young, and grew up to be transhumanists.
Of course improving performance is nothing new, and there was a lot of interest in eugenics in the first half of the twentieth century to achieve similar goals. A quick stroll through the history of the eugenics movement should be enough to set some very loud alarm bells ringing among civil liberties groups.
The more modern version could be used in a number of ways. Could it be used to enhance better soldiers or a more obedient and harder working population, or are we merely talking about making some people smarter or run faster than others? This raises a host of questions about whose performance gets enhanced, whether the recipients have a choice, and who gets to decide what enhancement actually means. Is it a question of merit or money?
It is an area that will keep ethicists, theologists and pontificators busy for years to come, and a start is being made in Hawaii next month. You cant miss the venue, just look for the borgs.