Ehhh, I don't know about that. Pick pocketing vs kidnapping, finding a place to cut the arm off, tooling, clean up, potential body disposal. I can't see that being worth a credit card number vs mugging or pick pocketing someone.
Funny, that’s the same arm position I use to pay with my Apple/Garmin/Google watch, and I didn’t have to consult a medical professional to do it.
I don’t mean to be dismissive. But such an objection isn’t even mentioned on the web page. Just “forget about ...Smartpay” (I assume that means NFC of some sort). Hey, whoa, back up; how about we not forget about it and you folks tell me how this is better than a watch.
The barrier of entry to theft is raised from pick-pocketing and mugging in alleys to chopping off a limb, no doubt it'll happen but I'm certain it'll be MUCH much rarer.
Yeah, in reality, the common case will be just cutting it out of victim's arm with a knife. It's much less messy than chopping off a limb, doable very quickly by a team of two people (one presenting a threat, other performing the field surgery), and doesn't require carrying around large cutting tools.
Cutting into people's flesh and taking out an implant will discourage petty/squeamish/opportunity thiefs, furthermore you'd need to know which arm the implant is in and where. I'm not sure about the exact size of the implant but cutting it out in a dark alley from a bloodied wound will certainly take more effort than grabbing a wallet from someone pocket.
More effort -> Less frequency
> furthermore you'd need to know which arm the implant is in and where
That's easy. Just swipe your smartphone over someone's arm until it beeps, then use your fingers (or phone's flashlight) to find it. Shouldn't take more than 3 seconds.
You can't change the data on it, so if you get skimmed you need a new implant.
However if it is re-writable (some are) you'll need to know someone/buy expensive specialized hardware.
I say all the above as someone with a magnet implant in my finger for the past 6 years. I still love having done it. But for practical uses like payment systems in an implant sounds like a horrible idea. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_implant)
So this will come in handy the day you get robbed after forgetting to charge your phone and decide you'd rather carry on with your afternoon rather than go to the police and then back home.
In all seriousness, I forget my wallet more often than someone my age should. Keeping an extra couple of twenties in my car has stopped that from ever once being a problem. I've never felt the need to have a payment option on my phone or smartwatch, let alone implanted in my arm. What happens when you decide to change banks?
In all seriousness, you're not taking it seriously. For you, mugging isn't a real concern. Congrats? For others, it really is.
And beyond that, you admit to having a minor need this could address. Can you understand that for others that same need is much larger due to other circumstances?
Wrong, You can clone NFC quite easily, You cant clone a bank card however. This is why you cant just get a NFC chip implanted and clone your bank card onto it.
Saying this is like saying you can "clone radio quite easily". Some NFC technologies can be easily cloned, some are harder. "Tap to pay" bank cards use NFC technologies.
For some reason the 'How It Works' section of this website cracks me up. Specifically 'Arrange the installation with a specialist' bit. The wording just feels so weird.
So if I get this, I will have to worry about potentially paying anyone that approaches my wrist with something that could contain a radio?
Someone should create another startup that embeds tiny contactless credit card machines on wrists lol.
I'm about 60% certain this is some kind of social commentary satire art project, and 40% certain this is actually a real company. Something designed to troll the credulous, sort of like bonsai kitten.
If it's a real thing: This appears to be linked to the Polish domestic banking sector? So primarily of use there. What's stopping you from just getting the implant, loading up some money/payment method on it, and two-part epoxying it into a 3D printed TPU plastic bracelet. Something fitbit sized. Its functionality as a payment method does not appear to require it to be implanted. You could even glue it into a hard shell of a plastic fob and keep it on your keychain.
Are you serious? If you put the chip on a plastic card, then it becomes a standard credit card. The idea is to embed the chip on you, so you don't have to carry a credit card. It's literally the same standard chip.
Yes, my point was to illustrate the ridiculousness of the concept. Get something implanted in yourself that will probably be obsolete in less than 10 years.
Pacemakers are like that. For a much more serious problem, but likewise the surgery in this case is mundane and low risk.
While methods to attack these could be developed, until they are and are applied to you, you'd have a fallback payment method if you were mugged or otherwise inconvenienced.
I guess it's a "cool" gadget for a very niche group of people. Maybe it's just me, but getting a large RFID chip injected seems like a fairly invasive procedure.
You still have to use chip and pin every 5 transactions or if you go over £130 whichever comes first? Most terminals in the UK require to insert card. Oh.
They contain very little metal, so will not set off any metal detectors. I have a similar sized implant, but not this one, and have no trouble at airports.
“the implant does not violate the basic privacy principles and does not track your location because it does not have GPS and no systems that allow you to spy on or track your location.”
I get that this is NFC but how is privacy in all other areas handled? What are these privacy principles? Can the data be updated without removal?
From the Wikipedia page on the NFC standard mentioned it states “In "card emulation mode" an NFC device should transmit, at a minimum, a unique ID number to a reader.”
Is this ID stable? What protocol are you using on top of the NFC frame data for payment?
With the rapidly increasing problem of resistance to known antibiotics the idea of voluntarily implanting a foreign body in yourself seems crazy to me.
WHO says "Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development today". But, hey if it helps if you forget your phone or watch...
Haven't bio-hackers been shoving NFC chips into themselves for quite a while already? It's interesting that it is getting commercialized, but it still feels very much like a novelty thing for cyberpunk fans.
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[ 2.8 ms ] story [ 144 ms ] threadMight I suggest implanting in your non dominant limb?
I don’t mean to be dismissive. But such an objection isn’t even mentioned on the web page. Just “forget about ...Smartpay” (I assume that means NFC of some sort). Hey, whoa, back up; how about we not forget about it and you folks tell me how this is better than a watch.
You can't lose it.
You can't forget it.
You don't need to charge it.
That's easy. Just swipe your smartphone over someone's arm until it beeps, then use your fingers (or phone's flashlight) to find it. Shouldn't take more than 3 seconds.
It's impossible for an implant to be 0 risk.
Removal is more complicated than implanting.
You can't change the data on it, so if you get skimmed you need a new implant.
However if it is re-writable (some are) you'll need to know someone/buy expensive specialized hardware.
I say all the above as someone with a magnet implant in my finger for the past 6 years. I still love having done it. But for practical uses like payment systems in an implant sounds like a horrible idea. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_implant)
If it's basically an NFC tag, can't you make it read-write? Or is this potentially doing something more than that?
Also, how did you get the magnet implanted? Despite having no use for it myself, I still kinda want one.
In all seriousness, I forget my wallet more often than someone my age should. Keeping an extra couple of twenties in my car has stopped that from ever once being a problem. I've never felt the need to have a payment option on my phone or smartwatch, let alone implanted in my arm. What happens when you decide to change banks?
And beyond that, you admit to having a minor need this could address. Can you understand that for others that same need is much larger due to other circumstances?
For unlocking a car, a motorcycle, a door, etc.. Could be a cool idea.
https://youtu.be/RKrE4hK6ZI8?t=762 is one example.
I'm sure everything you listed has at least been tried by someone at some point.
Seriously though, I am going to assume(hope) this is not real...
But at least you could put your card in a protective wallet, and card company will refund any fraudulant transactions.
An NRF blocking sleeve perhaps? :D
It also supports payments, can help you improve your health, show you the weather, and can even tell you the time ;)
If it's a real thing: This appears to be linked to the Polish domestic banking sector? So primarily of use there. What's stopping you from just getting the implant, loading up some money/payment method on it, and two-part epoxying it into a 3D printed TPU plastic bracelet. Something fitbit sized. Its functionality as a payment method does not appear to require it to be implanted. You could even glue it into a hard shell of a plastic fob and keep it on your keychain.
While methods to attack these could be developed, until they are and are applied to you, you'd have a fallback payment method if you were mugged or otherwise inconvenienced.
[1] something like https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91fbTWqCoiL...
I get that this is NFC but how is privacy in all other areas handled? What are these privacy principles? Can the data be updated without removal?
From the Wikipedia page on the NFC standard mentioned it states “In "card emulation mode" an NFC device should transmit, at a minimum, a unique ID number to a reader.” Is this ID stable? What protocol are you using on top of the NFC frame data for payment?
WHO says "Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development today". But, hey if it helps if you forget your phone or watch...
The fine print is that they are selling you an implant, but you need to implant it yourself, and then aren't promising that it works for anything.
FWIW, we microchip pets with a quick injection, so this idea is totally plausible technically.