RFID Implant Philosophy

RFID implants have several stigmas associated with them by various groups of people. Two examples include

Additionally, there are also several misconceptions about RFID technology among both its proponents and opponents. These include security and privacy issues, and, with respect to implants, possible health risks. This page attempts to address some of those concerns in an objective manner.

An RFID Implant is Not Secure

You should not use your implant's ID code as the password to your bank account or your computer. Why? Because it is possible, and not very difficult, for someone to scan and clone your RFID tag. This would render your RFID tag's code permanently useless as a password.

Of course, someone with the technical know-how would have to launch a personal attack against the bearer. Presumably, the attacker would have to believe the bearer's RFID tag would allow access to something of importance or value. If the bearer used the RFID code as the login password for a computer account, for instance, the attacker could access that computer and the information stored on it. This might include bank account information, email accounts and passwords, social networking accounts and passwords, contact lists, sensitive business information, or other information you would want to protect.

Using the code on your RFID tag as a password is analagous to wearing your password on a nametag in very small print. Only those who get close enough could read it, and you'd probably notice they were reading it, but you could not stop them from doing so. You should not use the code stored on your RFID implant to protect important or sensitive information.

An RFID Implant Is Not The Mark of the Beast

The Book of Revelation contains a commonly referenced passaged concerning the Mark of Commerce. It reads:

The passage makes four clear statements regarding the mark, which will be addressed individually below.

  1. The mark must be in the right hand or forehead.
  2. The mark must contain a number, such that that number coincides with the number of the beast's name.
  3. The bearer of the mark must have been forced by the beast to receive the mark
  4. The bearer of the mark must not be able to buy or sell without it.

Point 1: The hand is a common location for DIY RFID implants, typically between the thumb and forefinger. Some people who have an RFID implant will have one in their right hand. It is also conceivable that the chip could be implanted under the skin of the forehead.

Point 2: The same passage in The Book of Revelation continues,

An RFID implant typically has a 32 bit identification code, which would commonly be represented as an 8 digit hexadecimal number. The passage clearly identifies the number of the beast's name to be the 3 digit number, six hundred and sixty six. It is possible that number could contain or encode a sequence of three consequetive sixes; however, the occurrance of this sequence would be random, and also as part of a much longer sequence of numbers that is not the number of his name.

Point 3: Individuals who have chosen to implant an RFID tag into their own hands have done so of their own free will. The hobbyist community is contains no one who been forced to receive an RFID implant against his or her will.

Point 4: No one who has chosen to implant an RFID chip to this day has gained any additional abilities to buy or sell. The rights and privileges individuals held prior to receiving their implants remain in tact.

Conceding that some people may have the implant in their right hands or foreheads, an RFID implant still does not meet the requirements identified in the biblical text to be the mark of the beast. The number stored on that chip is not six-hundred and sixty six, the bearer was not forced to receive the chip, and the bearer gained no additional rights to buy or sell.

An RFID Implant is Not A Tracking Device

An RFID implant is a chip containing a unique identification code. Once it is implanted into a person, that code is used to identify the person carrying it. RFID is already becoming pervasive in our society. Common examples of it include:

  1. Security tags in goods at retails stores
  2. Inventory control systems at major retailers, such as Walmart

  3. Use in, or to replace, credit cards. Examples of this include Mobil 1 Speed Pass, toll payment systems for your car such as EZ Pass, and contactless credit cards such as MasterCard's PayPass or American Express' Express Pay

As the technology continues to expand, and standards come together, it is possible that one day an RFID implant could be used to track its bearer. Today, however, the infrastructure does not exist to use RFID for this purpose.

Additionally, the government already has the ability to its citizens. Every financial transaction performed without cash is recorded. Every cell phone contains a GPS chip so that it can be located by E-911 systems, and also can be located with fairly high accuracy based on the signal it emits to connect to the provider's service.

It would seem unreasonable for the government to bother with RFID for tracking people, when it already has this ability.

An RFID Implant is Not A Security Risk

Most RFID tags contain only a unique identification code. Some also support storing additional information which can be written to it by the bearer. An RFID tag does not contain personal information, unless it is explicitly put there.

There are RFID systems in place today that carry implicit security concerns. US passports and WHTI approved driver's licenses contain an RFID chip. It is reasonable to be concerned that the code stored on those chips is associated with your personal information in a government computer somewhere. Another example is VeriChip, an implantable chip used by hospitals to identify patients. A patient pays a registration fee and have the unique code in the VeriChip associated with his or her medical records in VeriChip's computer systems. A participating hospital could then read the chip and instantly access the patient's medical data. These uses of RFID are very different than a hobbyist having an implant.

There is no arguing that identity theft seems to be more common with each new advance in technology, and RFID is no exception. It should be understood, and used with caution. However, there is no personal information stored on an RFID chip itself. Hobbyists who have an implant have not exposed themselves to any greater security risk, as their implant is not associated with any personal information outside of their own personal projects.

Implant Philosophy (last edited 2009-07-20 16:29:56 by TimFanelli)