When Cash Is Only Skin Deep

Wired News ^ | Nov. 25, 2003 | Julia Scheeres

[joesnuffy]

A Florida company has announced plans to develop a service that would allow consumers to pay for merchandise using microchips implanted under their skin.

Applied Digital Solutions CEO Scott Silverman said he believes the company's VeriChip -- a subdermal microchip that uses radio frequency signals to broadcast an identification number to a scanner -- could someday replace credit cards. Under Silverman's plan, rather than swiping a bank card to make purchases, micro-chipped customers would scan themselves using special readers.

[theFIRMbss]

>allow consumers to pay for merchandise using microchips implanted under their skin

I'm not sure if I
should shower now, or go to
Bible study class...

[Reeses]

but RFID-enabled humans are bit harder to tamper with

Great, instead of someone losing their wallet when they get mugged they get their arm cut off or worse. This is a really stupid idea.

[Orangedog]

Everyone seems to be slugging it out on the JFK thread, otherwise this one would have had over 50 comments by now.

Do you ever get the feeling that these monkies read prophesy to come up with the specs for some of their gizmos?

[Wingy]

Ok, here's the deal. After we were warned 2000 years ago, there must be some pretty compeling reasons for us to ignore the warning and go headlong into the belly of the beast.

First, the chip could be powered by the owners own body chemistry, so cutting off the arm wouldn't work. Also with all transactions on file, one could only steal merchandise, not money. There will be no cash.

If you are looking for someone, a lost or runaway child, or a criminal, they will be easy to find.

Did you know what a banks biggest expense is? It's counting and guarding the cash. Do away with cash and the banks could offer all kinds of service and still make tons of loot.

No more prostitution, drug dealing, or any of a dozen crimes that require cash.

So this, plus convenience are the arguments that will be used to get you to ignore the warning given to us all.

What you do with it is up to you, but it's my intention to resist it at all costs. Make your choice.

[Bubba_Leroy]

I think that I'll just continue to suffer through the inconvenience of having to carry around at 2 & 1/2 inch by 3 inch piece of plastic.