Love it, sign me up.

I couldn't help but go to the book of the Revelation 14:9, "And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand..."

Now whilst I'm not of the fundamentalist bent, as nice as this RFID thingie might be in one sense as you point out (no lost keys, for instance) - the potential for abuse of such by the State is tremendous. Add GPS technology to one of these things and people can know where you are, any time of the day or night. Having an affair on the side, for example? You're not gonna hide that one from Momma anymore - she'll know right where you've been hanging out with your lover! Oops! Not that I'm recommending that you DO such a thing, just an example. In most major metro areas we're already under video surveillance far beyond what people might have thought possible - but then, if we've nothing to hide, what's the problem, eh?

I like to think about these kinds of ideas differently.

I don't consider, "if suddenly everyone has this invention, would there be any problems? If I can dream up a potential nightmare scenario, then let's pass a law against it." Such thinking presupposes that we understand exactly how the universe works and can predict with some kind of certainty that such problems and "abuse" would result.

Instead, I say let the free market and consumer demand determine if something is adopted or not and how it is used or not. We don't need any regulation for or against, certainly not before it is even tried by willing customers. The fact is that our understanding of the universe is constantly being updated. Our previous assumptions are being overturned left and right. Making universal, blanket decisions based on faulty knowledge has a net negative effect.

I want this product. Would you prevent a company from giving me what I want? Wouldn't that cause a decrease in my happiness / quality of life?

I do not think that government as we know it will be around in a few years. Big prediction, but let's think outside the current system and nightmare scenarios and ask only if you would pass a law, right now, to prevent a willing company from selling this product to a willing customer. For me, the answer is always Hell no.

We need those few people that are willing to try something like this to be able to test it out. Maybe it turns out to be even more useful than we first thought and it makes a dramatic improvement in their lives. Soon it becomes a popular --how did we ever live without it-- item. And if you outlawed based on abuse fears, we would have never enjoyed the technology.

Outlawing things based on abuse fears is common, but always misguided, in my opinion. The prohibition against alcohol in the United States is another example of a failed public policy based on abuse fears, not to mention the ongoing "War on Drugs," which has failed miserably. (see the Ending the War on Drugs idea, http://www.whynot.net/view_idea.php?id=210#comment-2227 )

I just read "Indentify Yourself" a one page box/article on page 58 of the May 2004 Wired Magazine (if you don't read Wired already, you NEED to).

One of the things it mentions is being able to scan a hand (and probably a finger or thumb) in infrared to reveal the unique pattern of blood vessels inside. The bonus of this technique is that you can't chop someone's thumb off and still get into their car (or access their identity). When the appendage is no longer pumped full of blood and begins to die, the pattern of hot blood vessels that the scanner reads quickly changes.

so... no RFID chip needed after all, no mark of the beast(!), either.

First of all it hurts.... As an RFID developer, I stuck one in my thumb by accident!!!

In all seriousness, there is a problem of hacking the data. When the rfid module is readily accessible, its not a big deal to change it. If surgery is required..... Its a problem.

IMHO, RFID hacking is in it infancy, but it will occur. Sometimes just for purposes of corrupting the keyword....

Ron

I guess we need chips that can be reprogrammed without surgery. Put your (thumb) in a device, verify your identity otherwise, then reprogram your code.

I have a news item up on my website, betterdifferent.com called, VIP club-goers get micro-chipped (with links) about people in Spain who already have RFID tags under their skin.

What happens when someone figures out a way to hack RFID's?Telephone companies and professionals said the 'caller ID' was impossible to hack when it first came out, but someone eventually did it.

Nice concept, however...

The main reason we (auto manufacturers) do not use identifiers embedded in body parts is because it's potentially very dangerous!

Think of it, instead of someone stealing your purse, or picking your pocket to get your keys, they'll cut off your thumb (or at least the tip)!

I like it for convenience. But let's say someone scans me while I'm standing in line and then reproduces the RFID or just fakes out a computer terminal with my information and orders all sorts of things over the internet. As long as I still have to sign for everything and not being held accountable for things I have not signed for, good idea.

I agree with [amuron]. I saw something on 20/20 where a couple of students from MIT were able to hack a Mobile Speedpass from 3 feet away with a briefcase installed with a scanning unit. They then easily duplicated the chip and used it to buy whatever they wanted at Mobile stations. Oddly, Mobile had nothing to say about it other than, there haven't been any claims of such theft so far.

Thumbs down on the RFID Thumb.

Why do you need an RFID chip in your thumb? Why not use just the thumb simply? I mean, your fingerprint would work just fine for identification... or am I wrong? Or, as seen in movies... a retina scanner maybe?...

The idea has merit. $0.20 for an RFID. But the locksets could be very costly. Plus, in areas of strong electromagnetic interference, they won't work. Like near antennae towers. But there are work arounds. It is a decent idea.

Regarding religious reasons not to consider an idea. I'm always amazed that the same people that quote scriptures selectively ignore the basis of their beliefs.

Thou shalt not revere any idol before me.Thou shalt not kill.Thou shalt not speak in thy name.

The Bible and Quran violate all three of these Ten Commandments, Gods words. If people don't want to put it in their hand, put it in their wrists.

So go forth with your idea, there is no compelling religious reason not to.

I personally like sensor fusion technologies for making security more robust. Like taking an iris scan with a low level light, changing the intensity, and retaking the iris scan. Each persons eye will dialate differently for the same change in light intensity and the time it takes to dialate is different as well. All of which can be done with a cell phone camera. The cell phone itself can provide secure remote control of almost everything.

The below link provides articles related to such innovations:

Technology Innovations - Table of Contents

I personally like sensor fusion technologies for making security more robust. Like taking an iris scan with a low level light, changing the intensity, and retaking the iris scan. Each persons eye will dialate differently for the same change in light intensity and the time it takes to dialate is different as well. All of which can be done with a cell phone camera. The cell phone itself can provide secure remote control of almost everything.

The below link provides articles related to such innovations:

Technology Innovations - Table of Contents

I personally like sensor fusion technologies for making security more robust. Like taking an iris scan with a low level light, changing the intensity, and retaking the iris scan. Each persons eye will dialate differently for the same change in light intensity and the time it takes to dialate is different as well. All of which can be done with a cell phone camera. The cell phone itself can provide secure remote control of almost everything.

The below link provides articles related to such innovations:

Technology Innovations - Table of Contents

Sorry for the multiple posts, computer delayed and I hit the "Submit" key several times while waiting. I thought the computer locked up.