One Quarter of Germans Happy To Have Chip Implants

justice4all writes "If it means shorter lines at the supermarket, a quarter of Germans would be happy to have a chip implanted under their skin. The head of Germany's main IT trade body told the audience at the opening ceremony of the CeBIT technology exhibition that one in four of his countrymen are happy to have a microchip inserted for ID purposes."

Comments

Not an informed choice.

[Bill, Shooter of Bul]

If you would have asked people in the 50's if they would prefer DDT sprayed on their crops to kill the insects, creating cheaper food. They would have said yes. They didn't know the consequences, and were only presented with the benefits. As is the case here. How many of those who said they would be willing fully understand the security issues associated with that choice?

Re:Not an informed choice.

[Anonymous Coward]

250 million people per year get malaria, and one million of them die every year. Them and their families would LOVE to have DDT sprayed again.
Propaganda is awesome isn't it?

Re:Not an informed choice.

[geekmux]

I fully understand the security issues of walking around with bits of plastic and paper in my pockets, relying on them to pay for stuff, identify myself, etc. Given the choice, I'd prefer an single electronic chip, thank you very much. If you're in front of cavemen about to "invent" fire, will you try to scare them off by telling them about the dangers of arson, death by fumes and the great fire of London?

Do you fully understand? Really? How many times have you had your credit card number stolen? Oh, that few, huh? Really? It's never happened yet? 15 years you've been using them and nothing? Wow. Yeah, sounds like it's a real issue...

And the "single-chip" theory for ID purposes will become bullshit just as soon as someones tag is "cloned", and we'll all be forced to provide a picture ID again.

Sorry, this is nothing more tech for the sake of tech, with the side "benefit" of tracking and controlling the masses.

Hell, we get all defensive when we get targeted spam that proves that someone was tracking where you surf online, and you think it won't be ten times worse when they can track your every move?

Re:Not an informed choice.

[MichaelSmith]

So why not keep that single chip in your watch band, clothing or a ring on your finger? What is so attractive about embedding it in your body?

Re:Not an informed choice.

[plover]

I'll say it again: if you are one of the people carrying cell phones, quit complaining about RFID tags "tracking you". That little candy-bar-sized transmitter clipped to your belt is actively broadcasting your location every single minute to a computer up to 40,000,000 cm away, and the phone network is making your location instantly globally available to anyone with the proper authority. Not only that, but the phone network is RECORDING your location even when not asked, so they can correlate your previous locations for as far back as they keep a history.

These complainers are screaming "I AM RIGHT HERE!!!" at the top of their lungs every single minute, with a blinking strobe light mounted on top of their tinfoil hats; the phone company is writing their location down every time they hear them; and yet they're afraid that someone is going to spend thousands of dollars outfitting a building with secret door readers just to see who comes in, never mind that cameras are already pointed at those doors. Right.

"I need a perspective check on Aisle 1, please."

Re:Not an informed choice.

[BoberFett]

You can leave your cell phone behind. Can you leave your arm at home?

Re:Not an informed choice.

[MichaelSmith]

An implanted chip is very hard to steal.

An implanted chip is very easy to find with the appropriate equipment. As for getting your hand on it well it depends on how squeamish you are.

Re:Not an informed choice.

[geekmux]

I'll say it again: if you are one of the people carrying cell phones, quit complaining about RFID tags "tracking you". That little candy-bar-sized transmitter clipped to your belt is actively broadcasting your location every single minute to a computer up to 40,000,000 cm away, and the phone network is making your location instantly globally available to anyone with the proper authority. Not only that, but the phone network is RECORDING your location even when not asked, so they can correlate your previous locations for as far back as they keep a history.

PROVE (in a courtroom) that it was ME holding or even using the cell phone in question.

Now try that same trick with an RFID implant.

I rest my case on the differences here. Plausible Deniability is a hell of a lot easier to stand on in only ONE of those scenarios.

Well, hey...

[pushing-robot]

Those tattoos and armbands were bloody handy.

...

...

OH NO, IT'S GODWINZILLA! AIEEE!

70 years ago...

[Anonymous Coward]

...much, much more than a mere 25% of Germans were quite eager to carry their era's form of identification and "go along with the crowd". /end-of-thread, Godwin invoked.

And 50% of Americans!

[plopez]

I suspect even a greater percentage of Americans would agree to be chipped. Or have their children chipped to prevent their kidnapping by the ever present child molester.

Man, I have become really cynical.

Re:He looks like Gargamel

[MRe_nl]

I can't find their "survey" at BITKOM http://www.bitkom.org/en/Default.aspx, but i'm wondering how many Germans were polled (four?). Most Germans I know would not want this AT ALL.
 

Re:He looks like Gargamel

[pv2b]

Most Germans I know would not want this AT ALL.

Indeed. It would seem 3 out of 4 Germans do not want this.

Re:He looks like Gargamel

[Beardo the Bearded]

They'll just get them inserted into the left forearm.

Re:He looks like Gargamel

[icebike]

How bad must the supermarket lines be for anyone to answer in the affirmative?

Why would a prosperous country like Germany have so few supermarkets that there were lines at all, other than the day before a holiday?

Now street muggers would have to carry scalpels? If your money is in your wallet they take the wallet. When your money is in your arm...???

Re:What benefits?

[kronosopher]

As for the benefit, it may make identifying your burned and mutilated corpse easier after you are killed in a terrorist attack

(fixed that for you) A false-flag terrorist attack perpetrated by the same government that implanted your chip. In-fact after analyzing your movements they found a high probability that your position would be at the aforemention attack and concluded you are expendable and your death is acceptable collateral damage. Meanwhile, the other cattle like yourself believe this an authentic terrorist attack and therefore call for the government to enact more degrading laws in the name of "security". Furthering their agenda to subjugate and enslave the masses. It's all very promising, let me tell you. Never worry about your children again, get them implants. Never pay for anything again, just walk out of the store and it's automatically deducted from your chip's credits. Your car, now tied to your chip, so you never worry about it being stolen. Life will be so much easier... Except when you break the law (everyone invariably does because there are so damn many). Officials turn off your chip and that store's doors no longer open for you. Your car won't turn on. You can't spend your money. Your children are located via GPS and taken. You're trapped in a system in which you don't exist. Getting chipped make us safer and our lives more convenient

Re:He looks like Gargamel

[Anonymous Coward]

I think he got something wrong. 25% wouldn’t be happy to have chips implanted. The research said that 72% don’t(!) want it to happen under any circumstances and 5% are unsure. That’s still 23% who don’t think it’s ridiculous across the board. But about 70% of them think it might be useful in a case of emergency, like being buried by an avalanche. Anyhow, why are they asking 14+ year olds about these things?

http://www.bitkom.org/files/documents/BITKOM-Praesentation_Connected_Worlds_01_03_2010.pdf