Wanna get chipped?

[Kaido]

Been reading a bit about RFID tags, seems like an interesting project! Would you consider getting one implanted in your body? You get shots for the flu, colds, chicken pox, etc...why not for convenience?

If you're not familiar with RFID, here's the Wikipedia entry for more info. Basically you can stick a tiny passive (non-powered) RFID tag into your skin (most people seem to do in their hand), which you can then use to trigger events like unlocking your car, starting up your bike, opening your front door, or logging into your computer. Amal Graafstra has been in the news a lot regarding his RFID implants; check out his homepage for some good information or look at some of his photos on Flickr. He also has a book called RFID Toys. It seems like a pretty neat project. I don't think I'd be brave enough to implant it myself, but I might be willing to go to a hospital to have one injected. How about you?

From what I've read, the range is usually under 6 inches for passive implants, so you might be able to stick one on your watch and use it like a SpeedPass at the gas station. There are also key fobs available so you can tap the sensor to activate an electronic strike to open your door or whatever; ThinkGeek has an RF distance-based security lock system available as well. It would be kind of neat to have one in a watch or even in your hand...like when you're coming home from the supermarket and have your hands full, you can reach for the door handle and it will automatically unlock, or when you walk up to your car and reach for the handle, it unlocks, then you can have a push-button starter that activates when your RFID tags gets near it. However to me the implant version is kind of sketchy for a few reasons - technology is always changing and better RFID tags will come out down the road, what then? Nobody really knows the long-term effects of an implant in humans. I'm not pro-tattoo either, so what do you do if you decide you want an "upgrade" or just want to get rid of it? Maybe a Lance Armstrong-style RFID wristband is in order...anyway, here's some info if you want to learn more:

Forums:
RFID Toys (book forum)
RFID Talk
Tagged forums

Exterior photos:
Size of RFID chip on hand
RFID chip & needle on hand
Opening an RFID-enabled door

X-ray photos:
Both hands
Wrist
Implant near thumb
Another view of thumb implant

Movies: (tons available on YouTube as well)
Getting implanted (not for the faint of heart!)
RFID card & implant on a Car (keyless entry & remote start on a Crossfire)
Door latch (disassembled so you can see how it works)
Computer login

If you're familiar with it, maybe you can answer some questions:

-does it have any negative effect on your body?
-can you remove it if necessary?
-does it set off metal detectors?
-does it set off RFID detectors at stores? (my cell phone does that sometimes)

 

[toekramp]

i'd want it in ring/watch form

 

[bersl2]

Originally posted by: toekramp
i'd want it in ring/watch form

With an on/off switch.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: toekramp
i'd want it in ring/watch form

Ooh ring, I hadn't thought of that. I take off my watch at night but the only time I take off my ring is to get it sized or when working with tools in the garage.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: bersl2

Originally posted by: toekramp
i'd want it in ring/watch form

With an on/off switch.

The small ones are passive, i.e. no power = no on/off switch. It only reacts when you're near a reader.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

No, no, hell fscking no, die in a fire.

- M4H

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
No, no, hell fscking no, die in a fire.

- M4H

rofl...but just think how much cooler your "smart home" could be :laugh:

 

[James Bond]

I want one

 

[redgtxdi]

Now think about this one..............


Does it ruffle anybody's feathers at all that the Bible reads a little like tomorrow's newspaper????


:clock:


Things that make ya go...."hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!"

 

[Kaido]

FDA approves computer chip for humans
Oct 13, 2004

WASHINGTON - Medical milestone or privacy invasion? A tiny computer chip approved Wednesday for implantation in a patient?s arm can speed vital information about a patient?s medical history to doctors and hospitals. But critics warn that it could open new ways to imperil the confidentiality of medical records.

The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that Applied Digital Solutions of Delray Beach, Fla., could market the VeriChip, an implantable computer chip about the size of a grain of rice, for medical purposes.

With the pinch of a syringe, the microchip is inserted under the skin in a procedure that takes less than 20 minutes and leaves no stitches. Silently and invisibly, the dormant chip stores a code that releases patient-specific information when a scanner passes over it.

[continued in link]

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: redgtxdi


Now think about this one..............


Does it ruffle anybody's feathers at all that the Bible reads a little like tomorrow's newspaper????


:clock:


Things that make ya go...."hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!"

Added another question...would you carry a chip? (as opposed to being implanted by one)

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: Kaido
Added another question...would you carry a chip? (as opposed to being implanted by one)

Provided that security is proven - yes, I'd carry one in a form factor similar to the standard access-badge.

- M4H

 

[adairusmc]

"mark of the beast" FTL

 

[xospec1alk]

I have an implant. a subdermal implant. it was a pain to put in. no pics yet.

 

[BrokenVisage]

I'll never accept the chip.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire

Originally posted by: Kaido
Added another question...would you carry a chip? (as opposed to being implanted by one)

Provided that security is proven - yes, I'd carry one in a form factor similar to the standard access-badge.

- M4H

I agree with the security issue. Wouldn't it be great to get an implant only to find out it's been hacked the next day? Since RFID technology isn't prevalent like say Windows is with home users, there's not a lot of hacking stuff out there just yet. The Amal guy talked about it a bit, about what kind of tools and machines you'd have to drag out to capture-hack the RFID stuff in your front door or wherever.

There is something to be said for over-automating stuff too. For example, I have a base Saturn - no power locks, windows, or trunk. My wife has a mid-range Beetle and a number of features in it bug me. If you place a heavy weight on the passenger seat (like a backpack), the alarm will ding until you hook in the seatbelt. There's no easy way to turn off the stupid weight sensor that I know of. If you turn on the car to let it heat up in the winter and leave it running when you go back in the house, it won't let you lock the door. That may be a good thing for some people who forget to pull out their keys and end up locked out, but my last apartment was in the ghetto and I didn't want her ride getting stolen while it was warming up. I carry the valet key on my spare keys just in case I do get locked out, so that's another annoying feature.

Oh and if you leave it alone for like 10 minutes it automatically locks the doors, so if you're packing the car for a vacation and want to keep the doors closed in between trips inside to get bags and wahtnot, you have to unlock it again every time you go back outside. Also the remote trunk pop mechanism is semi-faulty and requires two long presses to release plus lifting it in between...now, even when you hit the button inside the car, you have to walk outside, lift it up a little, and go back in the car and hit the button again. Oh and one of her windows doesn't roll down sometimes with the automatic window button. My "manual" Saturn? Zero problems.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: xospec1alk
I have an implant. a subdermal implant. it was a pain to put in. no pics yet.

Ooh tell us more!

 

[Brentx]

I would definately get one implanted. First I think it would make security a lot easier, because you can't forge a faked RFID. That would be cool if it would contain things like SSN, Drivers license ID, DoB, Passport information (think is where it could really come in handy). Think of it as getting a digital stamp on your own RFID chip inside your body. I would also tie my checking and savings account information to it, so you could just walk through a checkout counter at the store. I wouldn't even have to pull out a card .

Of course, I would do all of this as long as it is proven secure. No way in hell would I do it without it being secure.

RFID is the future. I actually have to take a course next semester on RFID for my MIS major. Should be pretty interesting.

 

[Gooberlx2]

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire

Originally posted by: Kaido
Added another question...would you carry a chip? (as opposed to being implanted by one)

Provided that security is proven - yes, I'd carry one in a form factor similar to the standard access-badge.

- M4H

Ditto. I'd hate for some dude with a radar/receiver to be walking around near me (bus, standing in line, etc...), intercept the signal and crack into my personal data.

 

[Gooberlx2]

Originally posted by: Brentx
...I would also tie my checking and savings account information to it, so you could just walk through a checkout counter at the store. I wouldn't even have to pull out a card ....

And you hear horrible stories about people getting abducted and their organs taken out for black market sale...Now they'll just cut your arms off.

 

[Vic]

No and no. It has nothing to do with the Bible (or inaccurate interpretations of) or the Matrix. RFID is fine for products, or a replacement for the barcode, but as a form of standardized ID represents a grevious invasion of personal privacy rights.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Brentx
I would definately get one implanted. First I think it would make security a lot easier, because you can't forge a faked RFID. That would be cool if it would contain things like SSN, Drivers license ID, DoB, Passport information (think is where it could really come in handy). Think of it as getting a digital stamp on your own RFID chip inside your body. I would also tie my checking and savings account information to it, so you could just walk through a checkout counter at the store. I wouldn't even have to pull out a card .

Of course, I would do all of this as long as it is proven secure. No way in hell would I do it without it being secure.

RFID is the future. I actually have to take a course next semester on RFID for my MIS major. Should be pretty interesting.

The only problem is if Jack Bauer comes after your hand :Q

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Vic
No and no. It has nothing to do with the Bible (or inaccurate interpretations of) or the Matrix. RFID is fine for products, or a replacement for the barcode, but as a form of standardized ID represents a grevious invasion of personal privacy rights.

Like driver's licenses, social security cards...?

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Gooberlx2

Originally posted by: Brentx
...I would also tie my checking and savings account information to it, so you could just walk through a checkout counter at the store. I wouldn't even have to pull out a card ....

And you hear horrible stories about people getting abducted and their organs taken out for black market sale...Now they'll just cut your arms off.

Yeah, kind of makes you wonder how people would mug you

 

[Excelsior]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: Vic
No and no. It has nothing to do with the Bible (or inaccurate interpretations of) or the Matrix. RFID is fine for products, or a replacement for the barcode, but as a form of standardized ID represents a grevious invasion of personal privacy rights.

Like driver's licenses, social security cards...?

He said RFID wouldn't be suitable as a form of standardized ID, not that we shouldn't have any form of standardized ID (like the ones you mention.)