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RFID Implants for Spanish Revelers

Posted by michael on from the also,-the-spca-will-return-you-to-your-owner-if-lost dept.

WWW/X writes "USA Today reports that clubbers in Barcelona are getting drunk and being implanted on site with RFID chips in order to pay their bills without carrying around bulky items such as credit cards. The article states that the implant can go anywhere, however it does not state whether anyone has chosen their forehead." The club's website describes the program (link in spanish).

7 of 382 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Barcelona by Ayaress · · Score: 4, Informative

    The one thing I should point out is that, despite the suspicious wording of the article, the people got implanted BEFORE they got drunk.

  2. Re:Glass? by HalfStarted · · Score: 5, Informative

    Glass... as in glass bead not glass jar or glass cup. What it is a small piece of electronics encased in glass, unless there was a flaw in the manufacturing process where a bubble gets in what you basically have is a solid piece of glass. If there are any voids from manufacturing defects they are so small that they do not reduce the strength of the package. The reason glass is used is that it is cheep very durable and is biologically/chemically inert, i.e. it will not rust, decompose or fuse to live tissue or interact with the body in any other way.

    --


    Have you thought for yourself today?
  3. Re:Glass? by Deraj+DeZine · · Score: 4, Informative
    From here:
    This implant, like the first, will be encased in a glass tube. We chose glass because it's fairly inert and won't become toxic or block radio signals. There is an outside chance that the glass will break, which could cause serious internal injuries or prove fatal, but our previous experiment showed glass to be pretty rugged, even when it's frequently jolted or struck.
    Sounds like it probably wouldn't break, but it'd be bad if it did.
    --
    True story.
  4. Re:Not just privacy issues.. by dabraun · · Score: 3, Informative

    If only you understood the first thing about encryption. The key is never transmitted.

    Look up public/private key systems.

    David

  5. Re:Not just privacy issues.. by ChaoticLimbs · · Score: 4, Informative

    This is avoided with Verichip, as the 128 bit number changes with each transaction in a manner specific to that chip, and known to the transaction handling company (Verichip). It would take thousands of queries and a supercomputer to find out exactly how the unique transaction number is changing so that your transaction would fit. In addition, since your transaction would alter the linearity of the NEXT transaction, it would flag your transaction as fraudulent. The payment isn't handled by the reader device, it's handled by a bank computer. You might be able to get one drink at best. These things are a bit more sophisticated than you think. Go to www.adsx.com.

  6. Re:Not just privacy issues.. by drc500free · · Score: 3, Informative

    well, if you bother to check their site, they say quite clearly (though in spanish) that they use VeriChip. So yes, we do think that. Why do you assume that, because an establishment serves alcohol, they are suddenly going to make shady and ill-advised business decisions?

  7. Re:Not just privacy issues.. by Dahan · · Score: 3, Informative
    This is avoided with Verichip, as the 128 bit number changes with each transaction in a manner specific to that chip... Go to www.adsx.com.

    OK, I went there, and I'm not seeing it... got a specific link? What I see is:

    A small amount of Radio Freqency Energy passes from the scanner energizing the dormant VeriChip, which then emits a radio frequency signal transmitting the individuals unique verification (VeriChipID) number.
    No mention of the number changing. I didn't even see where it said that it was a 128-bit number. Surely such a highly-moderated comment was verified by the moderators, right? Oh wait, this is slashdot... never mind.