Wednesday, November 26, 2003
paging Johnny Mnemonic -- your office is on ...er, your mind
Applied Digital Solutions, Inc. VeriPay [ the Company's newest subdermal RFID solution ] is intended to be a secure, subdermal RFID (radio frequency identification) payment technology for cash and credit transactions.
How, exactly, would that be a "cash" transaction?
About the size of a grain of rice, VeriChip(TM) is the world's first subdermal, radio frequency identification (RFID) microchip that can be used in a variety of security, financial, emergency identification and other applications.
Financial. Security. Identification.
each VeriChip product contains a unique verification number that is captured by briefly passing a proprietary scanner over the VeriChip.
Well alrighty, then. "Proprietary" means it can't be hacked, right?
The standard location of the microchip is in the triceps area between the elbow and the shoulder of the right arm. The brief outpatient "chipping" procedure lasts just a few minutes and involves only local anesthetic followed by quick, painless insertion of the VeriChip.
ok, um, eww . . .
Here's the "happy-sell" via USA Today. [sorry; no cartoons in the online version]
Imagine throwing away your wallet. No need to carry credit cards or cash. No need to haul around cards for the ATM, video store, gas station or frequent-flier program. It would all be replaced by just your fingerprint. Or perhaps your cell phone. Or a round piece of plastic the size of a quarter.
Sounds so carefree. Wheeee! No bulging pockets ruining the drape of your suit. No heavy hand bags straining sore shoulder muscles.
And one goal is to get people to use these new technologies for the kinds of small purchases that usually require cash. That has a boatload of implications...
Ya think? This idea is already around, albeit in more familiar forms. Exxon/Mobil already uses the Speedpass key fob, MaccyD's in Chicago uses a similar thingie and Timex has introduced a Speedpass watch. MasterCard has RFID embedded in its card eliminating the need for a signature. [fairly obvious stepping-stone move -- other that that what would be the point?] In Istanbul they use a prepaid, coin sized "iButton" for bus and subway fares.
As PayPass evolves, it could take on other forms, says Art Kranzley, senior vice president at MasterCard. "We're certainly looking at designs like key fobs. It could be in a pen or a pair of earrings. Ultimately, it could be embedded in anything — someday, maybe even under the skin."
And we're off and running.
Still, experts note that one big hurdle remains for RFID systems: security. Lose your RFID-enabled card or earring, and someone else could easily use it to run up charges — especially if no signature is required. One possible solution is to pair RFID with some other quick method of identification, such as a voice print or retinal scan. Among the most beguiling concepts is to replace all your cards with something you can't misplace or forget: your fingertip.
Beguiling? Beguiling?!? " To take away from by or as if by guile [or lying]; cheat: To distract the attention of; divert: [The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. --Gen. iii. 13. ]" [do they even own a dictionary?]
Mr. Silverman made the point that the subdermal RFID VeriPay technology specifically addresses the security issue. VeriPay's unique, under-the-skin format offers a much more secure, tamper-proof, and loss-proof solution. VeriPay brings to consumers the benefits of fast and reliable RFID technology along with the security of a subdermal format.
"secure, tamper-proof, and loss-proof solution" Think again, slick.
Well, it certainly obviates the need for any public debate about a National ID Card.
It has started as a "financial convenience object." Later, "for your safety" they add in ID with retinal prints -- after a couple dozen people get slit open by muggers. [and we thought getting your purse stolen felt intrusive. . .] Then we come to the Law of Unintended Consequences-effect:
-- Muggings will always involve a knife.
-- Child abductions will always leave physical scars, as well as psychological.
-- Hacks which retrieve encoded info without the owner's permission or knowledge. "Official" or freelance.
-- Hacks which deposit encoded information without the owner's permission or knowledge. "Official" or freelance.
-- Atheists and fundamentalist Christians band together as do the lion and the lamb to fight against the mark of the beast and/or the mark of the fascist, whichever.
-- We will all live in ever more "interesting" times.
-- We'll hafta amend that quote to: "He who is willing to trade security convenience for freedom deserves neither."
-- Underground cash economy surpasses "official" economy in size and importance [like the "undocumented worker" labor force in Cahleefohrneeah.]
-- The concepts of privacy and freedom of travel become faint, nostalgic memories. Something one's granny goes on and on about; sorta like walking thru the snow to school. Up hill. Both ways.
And just to put things in context, this little piece of joy was introduced at a conference in Paris called ID World
With industrial spies, terrorists, hackers and vandals increasing their ability to operate in both [physical and virtual] environments, the traditional compartmental approach to security is evolving towards an increasingly holistic view. Key industry players that traditionally focused either on physical or digital security explain how the boundaries of these worlds are blurring and how global security infrastructures are converging to address both environments with integrated solutions.
Here. Put on this armband. It's for your own safety.
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{/if}
