Father Of Cellphone Speaks Out About His Invention Being A Double-Edged Sword: 'My Most Negative Opinion…'

Martin Cooper expressed concerns about the negative impacts of cellphones and spoke about the hopes for its future. 

What Happened: The 94-year-old legend who invented the cellphone 50 years ago is concerned about the downsides of his invention on society, particularly on privacy loss and internet addiction. 

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“My most negative opinion is we don’t have any privacy anymore because everything about us is now recorded someplace and accessible to somebody who has enough intense desire to get it,” Cooper told The Associated Press while receiving a lifetime award in Barcelona. 

Dick Tracy’s radio wristwatch inspired Cooper’s invention. On April 3, 1973, he made his first public call from a handheld portable telephone on a New York City street. He used a prototype that his team at Motorola had already started designing five months before. 

At that time, his only concern was to make sure it worked. Fast forward to the present day, Cooper is among the millions of people who recognize the harmful consequences of this invention.

However, Cooper also saw a silver lining and marveled at the advancements in cellphone designs and capabilities. He said technology’s best days could still be ahead of it in sectors like education and healthcare. 

Cooper also envisions a future where human bodies charge cellphones. 

Why It’s Important: A 2020 Harvard University research stated that over 2,500 people have been suffering from head and neck injuries related to cellphone usage. 

There are also concerns about prolonged cellphone usage increasing the risk of cancer — although this is an area of controversy and active research. 

Photo: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

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