What Could Possibly Go Wrong

[Guest]

All the rumors you've been hearing for many years... now it's happening for real.  Microchips being implanted into people's hands for financial exchanges and security access.

http://kstp.com/news/wisconsin-company-to-implant-microchips-in-employees-three-square-market/4549459/

[Guest MormonGator]

I haven't been this disturbed since @Carborendum posted pictures of him going to one of those special beaches on Facebook. 

It's voluntary and it's a private business. It's not a good sign of course, but let's keep perspective and take deep breaths. 

[Mike]

On the one hand (no pun intended) I wouldn't have to worry about losing my debit card. On the other hand I can picture another form of mugging to steal cards.

[Vort]

I will not rest until we all get "666" tattooed on our foreheads!

[person0]

I read a similar article today about the same company and had considered posting it too.    I am not sure how I feel about it though.  Many people's freaked out comments on the articles relate to the book of Revelation and the mark of the beast, however, I don't really have any concerns about it as it pertains to that idea.  Would it be considered defiling one's body/temple in the same way we are counseled against tattoos and multiple piercings?  Doubtful.

I also imagine in the future you could have them encrypted with whatever information you want to always have.  Aside from the unusual aspect of it, I imagine it would be extremely convenient.  Imagine never needing your car keys, house keys, or wallet because a little chip will hold the information for you and encrypted so that sensitive data required a password.  I can see why a ton of people will be getting in line for one of these.  I am not sure what I will do yet once it gets to that level, I assume if there is anything wrong with it we may get advice from church leadership.

Edit:  Was just speaking with my co-worker who had a cool idea.  A semi-perfect alternative where I would be 100% on board is if they could give the option to have a ring or wrist band that you simply put on your finger that holds the chip inside.  I would actually like one of those!

Edited July 24, 2017 by person0

[Guest]

I am opposed because I don't want to be forced to implant something foreign into my body.  If this becomes some kind of requirement for participating in the economy of the Western world then I will gladly pack my bags and head for Uzbekistan.

 

 

Edited July 24, 2017 by DoctorLemon

[Mike]

47 minutes ago, Vort said:

I will not rest until we all get "666" tattooed on our foreheads!

When the bank I worked for back in about 1984 introduced it's version of ATMs with a promotion to give every demand-deposit account customer an ATM card an elderly lady chided me for it being part of a devilish plot to put the mark of the beast in all of our hands. Poor thing would just die today if she knew about the OP, haha.

 

[NeuroTypical]

From my perspective, anyone with a smartphone gave up most rights to have a problem with this crap about 3-4 years ago.  The amount of sympathy y'all get from me is inversely proportional to how attached you are to your device.  

You know what happens right now if I say "Hey Siri" out loud?  My phone on the other side of the room, wakes up and asks me what I want.  That doesn't mean it isn't listening the rest of the time.

You know what happens when you turn off your phone's GPS/Location services?  Well, it depends on who's looking for you.  And the technology isn't headed towards greater privacy.  (Greater data protection isn't the same thing.  Kind of the opposite in some ways.)

Anyone ever pay for groceries by tapping their phone on the little reader thing?

Yeah, y'all are already chipped, and if you think you aren't, you place more stock in the phrase "no really I can quit at any time" than I do.

Edited July 24, 2017 by NeuroTypical

[NeuroTypical]

1 hour ago, person0 said:

Edit:  Was just speaking with my co-worker who had a cool idea.  A semi-perfect alternative where I would be 100% on board is if they could give the option to have a ring or wrist band that you simply put on your finger that holds the chip inside.  I would actually like one of those!

 

Edited July 24, 2017 by NeuroTypical

[Mike]

3 minutes ago, NeuroTypical said:

 

I'll just wait until it comes out in a soft contact lens model.

 

Edited July 24, 2017 by Mike

[Guest]

21 minutes ago, NeuroTypical said:

From my perspective, anyone with a smartphone gave up most rights to have a problem with this crap about 3-4 years ago.  The amount of sympathy y'all get from me is inversely proportional to how attached you are to your device.  

You know what happens right now if I say "Hey Siri" out loud?  My phone on the other side of the room, wakes up and asks me what I want.  That doesn't mean it isn't listening the rest of the time.

You know what happens when you turn off your phone's GPS/Location services?  Well, it depends on who's looking for you.  And the technology isn't headed towards greater privacy.  (Greater data protection isn't the same thing.  Kind of the opposite in some ways.)

Anyone ever pay for groceries by tapping their phone on the little reader thing?

Yeah, y'all are already chipped, and if you think you aren't, you place more stock in the phrase "no really I can quit at any time" than I do.

The difference is, you are not physically altered by your smartphone.  It isn't an unnatural, unholy infringement where Corporate America stakes ownership on your very physical body through filthy unnatural microchip implants.  That is what I have a problem with.  

I can't believe people are voluntarily going along with this kind of thing.  They must be nuts!

Please note this has nothing to do with nutty one-world currency conspiracy theories or the beast of the apocalypse or similar misinterpretations of the Book of Revelation.  I think all that stuff is just silly.  I am opposed strictly on grounds of invasion of my privacy and what could eventually become socially-mandated self mutilation.

Edited July 24, 2017 by DoctorLemon

[Guest]

21 minutes ago, DoctorLemon said:

The difference is, you are not physically altered by your smartphone.  It isn't an unnatural, unholy infringement where Corporate America stakes ownership on your very physical body through filthy unnatural microchip implants.  That is what I have a problem with.  

I can't believe people are voluntarily going along with this kind of thing.  They must be nuts!

Please note this has nothing to do with nutty one-world currency conspiracy theories or the beast of the apocalypse or similar misinterpretations of the Book of Revelation.  I think all that stuff is just silly.  I am opposed strictly on grounds of invasion of my privacy and what could eventually become socially-mandated self mutilation.

I will tell you something else... The fact that these people are getting their implants from employers is particularly disturbing.  Just what we need... Corporate America branding and physically mutilating its employees like branding cattle.  This is a disturbing enough trend in the workplace already, employers way overstepping boundaries into the personal lives of workers, without having these implants (e.g. employers butting into their employees physical fitness levels and punishing those who are too out of shape).

Edited July 24, 2017 by DoctorLemon

[person0]

1 hour ago, NeuroTypical said:

 

Yeah, yeah.  But way too big and clunky for my tastes.  My preferred would be a titanium ring with an RFID chip inside.  Something I can just leave on and not take off so that I get the convenience as if it were implanted, but without actually having it implanted.  Something like this perhaps:

[NeuroTypical]

3 hours ago, DoctorLemon said:

I am opposed strictly on grounds of invasion of my privacy and what could eventually become socially-mandated self mutilation.

So, invasion of privacy and socially-mandated issues, huh?  Yeah, again, tell me what brand of phone you've got, and what would happen if you didn't have one at all.  I mean, yes, the implant stuff is an order of magnitude greater of course.  But if you would truly experience zero socially-mandated issues by going smart-phone-less, if you have truly not entered a single bit of personal information into your phone, then you're numbered among a rapidly decreasing segment of first (and 2nd and even 3rd) world society.

I mean, tell me I'm wrong here...

 

[Bad Karma]

5 hours ago, Vort said:

I will not rest until we all get "666" tattooed on our foreheads!

[Bad Karma]

3 hours ago, DoctorLemon said:

I will tell you something else... The fact that these people are getting their implants from employers is particularly disturbing.  Just what we need... Corporate America branding and physically mutilating its employees like branding cattle.  This is a disturbing enough trend in the workplace already, employers way overstepping boundaries into the personal lives of workers, without having these implants (e.g. employers butting into their employees physical fitness levels and punishing those who are too out of shape).

Yes, that's pretty nuts, but think about it, "Sheeple" do that kind of stuff, and there's no shortage of "Sheeple". 

[SilentOne]

3 hours ago, NeuroTypical said:

But if you would truly experience zero socially-mandated issues by going smart-phone-less, if you have truly not entered a single bit of personal information into your phone, then you're numbered among a rapidly decreasing segment of first (and 2nd and even 3rd) world society.

No smartphone. I prefer to use a phone that was designed primarily to function as a phone. And one can shut, because that feels less icky to hold up against my face considering all the places phones go.

I do have some things in the contacts and emergency information sections that could be considered personal.

[Guest]

17 hours ago, MormonGator said:

I haven't been this disturbed since @Carborendum posted pictures of him going to one of those special beaches on Facebook. 

It's voluntary and it's a private business. It's not a good sign of course, but let's keep perspective and take deep breaths. 

I didn't say anything more.  But I simply asked: What could possibly go wrong.  (no question mark).

[Guest]

17 hours ago, Mike said:

On the one hand (no pun intended) I wouldn't have to worry about losing my debit card. On the other hand I can picture another form of mugging to steal cards.

My first reaction to the article: The Mark of the Beast?  Naaahhhh.  

My second reaction: How easy would it be to mug someone and simply hide a chip the size of a grain of rice?

17 hours ago, person0 said:

Edit:  Was just speaking with my co-worker who had a cool idea.  A semi-perfect alternative where I would be 100% on board is if they could give the option to have a ring or wrist band that you simply put on your finger that holds the chip inside.  I would actually like one of those!

I just came across a conundrum about this.  Too much convenience in the digital age is a bad thing.  I was listening to the BoM on the way to work today.  But the speed changed from 1.5x to 1.0x.  I found out that it was because the 30 day trial expired.  

I've tried several audiobook players and I really liked this one.  I figured, ok I guess I'll buy it. BUT!! I realized that one reason I've only used free apps was because I was concerned that once my phone had my credit card info, then just one stray button and I'm spending money all over the place.  No, it would be better (as a matter of self-control as well as security) to not have that info on my phone.

Does anyone know if I put my cc info on my phone, is there a way to remove it?

[person0]

2 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

I was concerned that once my phone had my credit card info, then just one stray button and I'm spending money all over the place.

Does anyone know if I put my cc info on my phone, is there a way to remove it?

Yes you can delete your credit card information from your account.  That said, I personally have never uploaded my information credit card info for the same purpose.  Instead I enrolled in the google opinion rewards program.  This pays me a few cents every once in a while for a survey that just takes about a minute, sometimes less.  I have built up about $30 over the past year and a half and when I can't resist purchasing an app I use the money from that and have never put in a credit card.  Another alternative would be to purchase an app store gift card so you can limit yourself by only allowing purchases until it runs out.  Either way, there are a few different ways to protect you from yourself in this regard.  

[Guest MormonGator]

59 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

I didn't say anything more.  But I simply asked: What could possibly go wrong.  (no question mark).

Notice you didn't say anything about your Facebook beach post. 

[Mike]

2 hours ago, Carborendum said:

My second reaction: How easy would it be to mug someone and simply hide a chip the size of a grain of rice?

When I thought about mugging I pictured someone simply cutting the chip out of the victims' hands not totally unlike muggers who cut off fingers or ears for a diamond. 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, MormonGator said:

Notice you didn't say anything about your Facebook beach post. 

I really wanted a witty retort to this.  But... I got nothin'.

[zil]

14 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

I really wanted a witty retort to this.  But... I got nothin'.

Well, I think that was the point of that post, wasn't it?  (Gator warned me not to friend you.  )

[Guest Godless]

20 hours ago, NeuroTypical said:

From my perspective, anyone with a smartphone gave up most rights to have a problem with this crap about 3-4 years ago.  The amount of sympathy y'all get from me is inversely proportional to how attached you are to your device.  

You know what happens right now if I say "Hey Siri" out loud?  My phone on the other side of the room, wakes up and asks me what I want.  That doesn't mean it isn't listening the rest of the time.

You know what happens when you turn off your phone's GPS/Location services?  Well, it depends on who's looking for you.  And the technology isn't headed towards greater privacy.  (Greater data protection isn't the same thing.  Kind of the opposite in some ways.)

Anyone ever pay for groceries by tapping their phone on the little reader thing?

Yeah, y'all are already chipped, and if you think you aren't, you place more stock in the phrase "no really I can quit at any time" than I do.

The telling thing for me is the fact that Google Maps can give me a traffic map of the entire city of San Antonio (or any city) marking areas of slower movement and congestion in realtime. And when I look at the listing for a place of business on Google, it can tell me the average amount of time that people typically spend there. I suspect very strongly that this information is fed to Google via the GPS on peoples' smartphones. It doesn't necessarily bother me, but it's an interesting observation.