To those who say it'll never happen

[thesightless]

Re: To those who say it'll never happen

yeah, i could see them putting in the trackers on every street corner in NYC and DC. creepy

[picklemonkey]

that'd be cool for bars to use it for bar tabs.

@sightless-just because you have it doesn't mean you have to use it just carry cash into a bar. it'd basically be nothing more than a credit card implanted into your wrist.

@toast-it's not a cell phone, it's just a piece of paper with a number on it

@skat-1024x768 17"LCD

[neoee]

I have nothing to hide all the anti-chip people don't want to be tracked everywhere they go... but the government won't be tracking you unless you were a wanted criminal. fuck 'em. let them track me... they already force me to pay taxes, obey traffic laws, regulate my substance consumption, and tell me what I can or can't buy. them having a passive ability to look up the fact that I walked into WalMart at 7:28pm is little compared to all the active restrictions placed upon me.

Only criminals will be tracked? I doubt it. This system also opens up the ability for others to get your information. You want anyone with a RFID scanner to be able to grab you SS number?? What about if you had gotten into trouble when you were younger, let's say you got busted with some pot or something? Now a cop pulls up next to you and sees that you have a previous history (since you RFID identifies you as said individual) don't you think he is more likely to pull you over now? What about when someone duplicates your RFID (grab a scanner and duplicate and now my name is Adam)? Much like using biometric data its much harder to change or correct than a password or credit card. Now someone gets to run around claiming to be you because no one bothers to check picture ID anymore. What about you work being tied into other DB's which show that you were at the beach the day you called in sick? How about when you go in for a job interview and you potential employer is able to look at you medical history in a flash and doesen't offer you the job because you might be a higher medical risk (I've seen some people with more than normal medical issues layed off, though the company will never say its for those reasons)?

These issues just scratch the surface of RFID for tracking people. Besides, IIRC the new national ID cards will contain RFID's, why not piggyback on those rather than implanting them?

[picklemonkey]

when I said only criminals would be tracked, I meant "followed" or something. they'd still track us, but have no reason to pay attention to us unless they knew to look out for us.

you definitely make excellent points, but do you think that in a world of computers your picture won't be saved in a database used purely for identification? For example, I seriously banks would immediately charge an account unless approved by both the card owner and the merchant. Scan your wrist, your name/digital photo(s) appear on the screen, and the merchant decides whether to complete the transaction. that's how it's currently set up, at least... to ensure you are who you say you are, you not only need the card, but you need to enter a PIN number and/or sign papers and have signatures compared both after the card is swiped and before the transaction completes. I would think the same would apply for rfid tags.

yes, a cop may be more likely to pull a person over if they knew they had a criminal record beforehand... but it's profiling/discrimination. just as everybody is to be treated equally, cops in america are more prone to pull over african americans, mexicans, or cubans before a white person. it's definitely not legal... but it's a moral issue, rather than a technology issue imo. the same discrimination issues go for interviews, etc.

[neoee]

^^^^ I'm sure our pictures are in some database right now (for identification purposes) but the chance for abuse is greater. I'm all for technology, trust me I'm a bigger geek than you imagine.

However, the more information thats out there the more chance there is for abuse. Just look at the recent credit card information problems they have been having. I'm sure the intent is good but we are not talking about a card you can pull out and swipe/scan. This can be scanned without you knowing. Personally I'll be walking around with my tinfoil hat on if this was ever implemented.

[picklemonkey]

it can be abused... but so can anything else. I just don't think it'd be an issue. I just see it about as risky as credit card/identify theft because it can't be used unless a clerk approves a sale, and because you can't use it without actually being physically present, your face would obviously have to match the photo. I think it would be more secure, because someone couldn't just charge shit to your stuff via the Internet, etc... there would always be some sort of human interaction involved.