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RFID Implants for Spanish Revelers 382

WWW/X writes "USA Today reports that clubbers in Barcelona are getting drunk and being implanted on site with RFID chips in order to pay their bills without carrying around bulky items such as credit cards. The article states that the implant can go anywhere, however it does not state whether anyone has chosen their forehead." The club's website describes the program (link in spanish).
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RFID Implants for Spanish Revelers

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  • Barcelona (Score:3, Interesting)

    by F34nor ( 321515 ) * on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:08PM (#9129574)
    Loved it, loved the music, loved the food, still wouldn't get RFID to pay for drinks.
    • Re:Barcelona (Score:5, Informative)

      by Ayaress ( 662020 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:16PM (#9129713) Journal
      The one thing I should point out is that, despite the suspicious wording of the article, the people got implanted BEFORE they got drunk.
      • I thought they were just using mankind's original anesthetic before doing the procedure.
      • does one have to be to decide: it's too difficult to carry money or plastic or identification. I'll just have a "nurse" implant a device under my skin.

        They should be ashamed that they're NOT drunk when they do this.

        Good thing I'm not a fundamentalist or I'd see this as an indicator of people volunteering for the Mark of the Beast.

        • does one have to be to decide: it's too difficult to carry money or plastic or identification. I'll just have a "nurse" implant a device under my skin.

          Barcelona does have one of the worst rates of pickpocketing in Europe. So I can see why people don't want to be carrying their wallets around when they're drunk.

    • Re:Barcelona (Score:2, Insightful)

      by eegad ( 588763 )
      Woulda get an RFID to not have to remember your computer password? Me neither. Coming to a keyboard near you.
  • SO cool. (Score:5, Funny)

    by Hanna's Goblin Toys ( 635700 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:09PM (#9129587) Homepage Journal
    Ok this is so yesterday. I got my waver at Baja, people, and I can't love it enough. It's phat because I can totally wave it in front of any of the bartenders and like bam I have a drink. It's even better in the summer because it's like totally hot right now (third day of this awful humidity) and so I can wear like anything hot that I want and I don't have to carry a PURSE or those lame KEYCHAIN WALLETS and stuff. So anyway at the library once this guy was all freaking out on me about how I got "implanted" and I was going to be "tracked and monitored" and said "don't you read Slashdot?". He was gross and I ran away but that's how I found out about this site.

    Anyway I've read here long enough to know that no one here is going to want a waver but that's cool because I'm just guessing here that only uncool ugly people are going to get all wigged about being cool and not having to carry a wallet. Which just means more hot guys at Baja for me.

    Smack that ass, boyfriend!
    • Re:SO cool. (Score:3, Funny)

      by ear1grey ( 697747 )
      i think i'm in love.
    • And then, like, you just walked around going "beep beep beep."
    • Re:SO cool. (Score:5, Funny)

      by trentblase ( 717954 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:59PM (#9130327)
      Any technology that encourages hot club-going women to show more skin is fine by me. Plus, it makes it so much easier to stalk them!
    • by fiannaFailMan ( 702447 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @03:03PM (#9131289) Journal
      to word everything as, like, a question? You know? "Like, I was like, down at the pool hall? And this totally cute guy came over? And I was like, Oh my God! I totally didn't know what to say? And he was like, 'whatever!'"
    • Re:SO cool. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by TyrranzzX ( 617713 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @05:11PM (#9133032) Journal
      (and for those who take em' seriously, for the 10,000th time) Wait for it. The banking institutions are going to want to do trade this way. It starts with a night clib in Baja, then goes to something else. It then becomes a fad, people go for it, then BAM, it's manditory at work for some people. Afterall, you want to be team playa, don't you? Overtime, the technology advances, and now it can store encrypted data and is difficult as fsck to hack.

      Then all of a sudden, the banking institutions begin associating the data with you. Now instead of carrying around a wallet, you carry around a chip which a central database in some goverment or business institution. The chip stores your info, and all they've got to do to enforce it is put in advanced versions of credit card readers that read chips and correlate that data over the intarweb.

      That isn't the end though. There'll still be a few people reeling and screaming to the rest of the sheeple that what they're doing is wrong. The real end, is when someone comes before congress complaining about the incredible cost of keeping a cashier at the front desk. They'll talk about making a law stating businesses won't have to take money anymore for trade. Of course, by then everything will be pretty much monopolised by profiteering corperations. Then, when the terrorists begin trading with people, good ol' barter, they'll outlaw that too.

      And then the banking institutions have all the power they ever wanted.

  • Forehead (Score:5, Funny)

    by akaina ( 472254 ) * on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:09PM (#9129590) Journal
    "... anyone has chosen their forehead."

    Or right hand for that matter.
    • Re: Forehead (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Evil MarNuke ( 209527 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:43PM (#9130096) Homepage
      The forehand is a symbol of the mind. Do you think of God or something else?

      The right hand is a symbol of work. Do you work for God or do you work for yourself?

      A lawyer 2000 years ago wrote the following:

      This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
  • Glass? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by marshac ( 580242 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:09PM (#9129599) Homepage
    USA today says that it's made out of glass... couldn't this possibly break? Ouch. Then again, USA Today is known for their high quality journalism...
    • Re:Glass? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Phoenixhunter ( 588958 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:12PM (#9129642)
      Ever tried to break a small piece of glass? A hammer could do it on a hard surface, but not when it is in the subdermal layer where it is in a relative cushion...
    • if it breaks, you'll have two tiny near-microscopic pieces of glass embedded in your flesh.
    • marshac: USA today says that it's made out of glass... couldn't this possibly break? Ouch. Then again, USA Today is known for their high quality journalism...

      It is the same ids they use on cats, dogs, horses, some cows, etc. If it is durable enough to use on these animals, it is durable enough for you.
    • Re:Glass? (Score:5, Informative)

      by HalfStarted ( 639977 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:39PM (#9130035) Journal
      Glass... as in glass bead not glass jar or glass cup. What it is a small piece of electronics encased in glass, unless there was a flaw in the manufacturing process where a bubble gets in what you basically have is a solid piece of glass. If there are any voids from manufacturing defects they are so small that they do not reduce the strength of the package. The reason glass is used is that it is cheep very durable and is biologically/chemically inert, i.e. it will not rust, decompose or fuse to live tissue or interact with the body in any other way.
    • Re:Glass? (Score:4, Informative)

      by Deraj DeZine ( 726641 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:46PM (#9130155)
      From here [wired.com]:
      This implant, like the first, will be encased in a glass tube. We chose glass because it's fairly inert and won't become toxic or block radio signals. There is an outside chance that the glass will break, which could cause serious internal injuries or prove fatal, but our previous experiment showed glass to be pretty rugged, even when it's frequently jolted or struck.
      Sounds like it probably wouldn't break, but it'd be bad if it did.
  • No prob (Score:5, Funny)

    by grub ( 11606 ) <slashdot@grub.net> on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:10PM (#9129610) Homepage Journal

    Get RFID tag installed.

    Don your tinfoil hat.

    Drink.

    • by jd ( 1658 )
      When you're drunk, they install a second RFID tag. Somewhere else.... possibly quite painful.


      Or, they could just decide to put a second tag in your throat. Just faulty enough to ignite the alchohol as it goes by. (Thus destroying any incriminating evidence.)

  • Uhh... (Score:5, Funny)

    by American AC in Paris ( 230456 ) * on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:11PM (#9129618) Homepage
    "...that bump? No, no no no--you've got it all wrong! I'm clean--that's my RFID chip! Really! Wait! Come back!"
    • Re:Uhh... (Score:3, Funny)

      by AndroidCat ( 229562 )
      The Tubes 2.0? [sing365.com]
      The smell of burning leather

      as we hold each other tight
      As our rivets rub together
      flashing sparks into the night
      At this moment of surrender darling
      if you really care
      Don't scan me there
  • by ericspinder ( 146776 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:11PM (#9129628) Journal
    I can see it now...
    Lean against the bar and accidently buy everybody a round!

    Or better, yet muggers using a knife and cutting out the implant. I'd feel better if the scanner would only work an inch or two from the chip, rather than several feet. Otherwise, in a crowded bar how would you know who is paying?

  • Ouch! (Score:5, Funny)

    by jmcwork ( 564008 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:11PM (#9129632)
    It is also rumored that many Barcelona escort services are looking into this method of payment for services.
  • what if they leave? (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Kjuib ( 584451 )
    does the chip stay or does your body slowly reject it and shoot it across the room? Maybe they could make disposible ones, that they can swallow and pass it a day or two later... that would be gross, but no implants...
    • by Anonymous Coward

      does your body slowly reject it and shoot it across the room?

      Yeah, you get it implanted in your wrist and at the right moment you impress the girls with your "Look at me, I'm Spiderman!" move as it flies from your wrist.
    • does the chip stay or does your body slowly reject it and shoot it across the room?

      I've had a shard of fiberglass in my leg for ten years (pole vaulting) and it hasn't come out yet. Sometimes after running two or three miles I can reach down and feel it but other then that I wouldn't even know it was still there.
  • by happyfrogcow ( 708359 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:13PM (#9129655)
    all news today is "smart this.. implant that..."

    you can take your RFID and shove it up your ass! literally!

    • you can take your RFID and shove it up your ass! literally!

      Well, at least you have a solution to the privacy issue that you can't remove the chip after you leave the bar...

  • by Karamchand ( 607798 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:13PM (#9129657)
    ..but counterfeiting/identity theft issues as well. If the RFID is readable that easily, I can just read of the wealthist customer's RFID and make one with his ID for myself. Voila, I'll have a drunken night at the club!
  • Reminds me.. (Score:5, Interesting)

    by fiannaFailMan ( 702447 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:13PM (#9129664) Journal
    of when I was in Mallorca getting polaxed every night. The fact that I had to use cash meant that I could pace myself and not blow all my money, as you would do very quickly when you're so drunk that you could lose track of how much (or little) money you can spare. If I was able to just wave my hand and get a drink I'd be bankrupt in no time. I think that's a more pressing concern than any privacy issues.
    • by h4rm0ny ( 722443 ) * on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @02:00PM (#9130342) Journal
      If I was able to just wave my hand and get a drink I'd be bankrupt in no time.

      You see a design flaw, they see a feature. ;)
    • Re:Reminds me.. (Score:3, Interesting)

      by superflippy ( 442879 )
      when you're so drunk that you could lose track of how much (or little) money you can spare

      This is a pretty legitimate concern. There was a scandal at the Gold Club, the biggest "gentlemen's club" in Atlanta, a few years ago. They were charging extra stuff to the tabs of men who were really sloshed, figuring they wouldn't remember the next morning how many lap dances they'd had. I believe they targeted business travelers and pro athletes, people likely to have the money but not scrutinize their bills, and
  • Alternatives (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Kallahar ( 227430 ) <kallahar@quickwired.com> on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:13PM (#9129667) Homepage
    How about the option to put it in, for example:
    A ring
    A necklace
    An earring, nose ring, etc.
    A bracelet
    A watch

    All of these seem a lot safer, putting things under the skin can be really really dangerous. How do you go about getting it out if you're done with it? What if someone clones your id? What if it migrates to somewhere else in your body?

    It's times like this that I'm glad we have an FDA here in the US.
    • by AtariAmarok ( 451306 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:16PM (#9129714)
      "How about the option to put it in, for example: A ring

      D'oh! If Sauron had remembered to embed an RFID chip in that damn ring when he first had it made, it would have saved him and many others thousands of years of "looking for lost jewelry" trouble.

    • How about in a tube, about an inch and a half across and a foot long? I'm not saying where you should wear it, but before you hardware hackers start getting any ideas about putting an Athlon inside it, you may want to consider the relative amounts of acceptable heat dispersion at various places on the body.
    • Re:Alternatives (Score:2, Informative)

      by phildog ( 650210 )
      >A watch

      Bingo. [timex.com]

    • FDA?

      What about it? Dont you think we have one as well in Europe? I assure you, we do...
    • My cats (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Fuzzums ( 250400 )
      My cats have RFID implants with a serial#.
      If they get lost their necklace tells the finder to call a number / go to a vet to get the number read.
      The number corresponds with my address information in a database and I get a call.

      My point is this: it's no 'new' technology and the chip does not migrate in the cat's body (it's implanted near the left shoulder).
      Of course the implantation should be done by skilled people. My guess is that it ins't the bartender who implants the chip ;)
  • by AtariAmarok ( 451306 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:14PM (#9129676)
    I hear they are putting RFID's in the bulls for the next "running of the bulls" in Pamplona, Spain.

    I look foward to participating in the next run, and logging into my specially-fitted Palm Pilot as I run down the street and check the red dots on the screen so I know where the bull horns are so I can avoid them.

  • rfid (Score:2, Funny)

    by virtualone ( 768392 )
    they have to get me very drunk to let them implant me a rfid thingie
  • Sensationalistic?! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by n-baxley ( 103975 ) * <nate&baxleys,org> on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:14PM (#9129685) Homepage Journal
    What a load of crap! The /. descriptions says clubbers in Barcelona are getting drunk and being implanted on site with RFID chips which maks it sound like the club is tagging passed out patrons with a chip without their consent. In fact the bar is sponsoring the chip implants and people can sign up for them. I'm not saying that it makes the idea OK, but it's a heck of a lot better than a story about waking up with an ID embedded in your arm. Let's try to tell it like it is a little more, even if it is /.
  • by nebaz ( 453974 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:14PM (#9129690)
    marca de la bestia

    (Thanks google. :-)
  • Was there last year, and I can see it now... The british kids selling Ectasy at Space, Pacha, El Divino and cafe Del Mar, can just bill you electronically.

    Shows up on credit card as "adult entertainment". I see the potential for abuse.
  • by dakan ( 746916 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:15PM (#9129697) Homepage
    Alright! Now I can get drunk, pay my tab, and be tracked where ever I go. I'll never be lost again! In fact now the bartender will know exactly what I like so when I'm too trashed to order he will still know what I'm looking for.

    In Addition, I'm sure other merchants will catch on to the fact that I have an RFID tag and they will make wonderful use of it as well! This is a marvelous idea! Maybe now someone will remember my name.
  • So what... (Score:5, Funny)

    by UncleBiggims ( 526644 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:16PM (#9129719)
    Wave a body part and get a drink? So what! Girls have had this power since forever. And for them the drink is free.
  • by marshac ( 580242 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:16PM (#9129722) Homepage
    Great, now my arm can look like my keychain with a half-dozen different "rewards" RFID chips... The added side benefit with all that junk in your arm will be when you light up the metal detector at the airport like a Christmas tree... and then the friendly TSA agent dons the rubber gloves...
  • Bulky? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by clausiam ( 609879 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:17PM (#9129731)
    ..bulky items such as credit cards...

    Yeah those pesky bulky 50x30x0.5 mm^3 credit cards - don't want to lug one of those around.

    /Claus

  • by axis-techno-geek ( 70545 ) <rob AT goshko DOT ca> on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:18PM (#9129742) Homepage
    Too me this just sounds like a bad idea.

    If you pass out, your RFID chip still works, guess who's buying!

    At least with cash, when your out, your done. Credit cards have a signature and some liability, what do the RFID tags have? (sorry no habla)

  • Even though there is all the blah blah about Revelations and yadda yadda yadda, I think this would be pretty nice. Part of me wants to drop credit cards for implants because it would just be easy. Part of me is scared of that due to the whole My-Government-Really-Doesn't-Give-A-Toss-About-My - Privacy-And-They-Aren't-Afraid-To-Say-It (PATRIOT ACT, etc.) thing.

    So, I was thinking maybe if they would make stylish jewlery instead of implants, it would be better. I hate wearing extra things on my person.
  • Bad summary (Score:2, Insightful)

    by helix400 ( 558178 )
    I got the impression from Slashdot's interpretation of USA Today's rant that these people are getting implants against their will because they're drunk. Or that they don't want the implants, but they get them because they are drunk.

    Then when I read the article, I found out volunteers willingly accepted them.

    Gotta love Slashdot articles that throw in completely unwarranted, biased statements like "patrons are getting drunk and...", even though the article says nothing of the sort.
  • by cybergrue ( 696844 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:20PM (#9129770)
    What a wierd way of starting an article. I would have thought that 1984 would have been invoked in an article like this, but no, the author means 1974, and talks about Watergate et all. He even goes on to make a pun about Braingate, a brain computer communication tech.

    Actually, I think the whole article is just wierd. At least three topics have been rammed together into this article. Does anyone have any proof that this is actually happening, or is this just some marketing hype that a reporter fell for?

  • The interview mentions that they are easy to remove. The chips are for the VIPs and a perk. No abuse here. The company is just trying to differentiate themselves from other clubs with an interesting gimmick.
  • by pa3gvr ( 548273 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:25PM (#9129841) Homepage
    Have a look at the professional enviroment where they do the implant:
    Baja implant photo. [baja-beachclub.com]
  • by mcguyver ( 589810 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:26PM (#9129847) Homepage
    This could be a hit with nudiest colonies or naked people that like to go shopping with their credit card. Go figure.
  • by Scrab ( 573004 )
    Nobody expects the Spanish Implantation.....
  • by Anonymous Coward
    This is a nice english version of the 'facts'

    Spain Launches Microchip Implantation for VIP Members [twoday.net]

    Baja Beach Club in Barcelona

    UPDATE April 7, 2004 2:30 PM CST

    Note from Alex Jones:

    I interviewed Conrad Chase for 30 minutes on my syndicated radio broadcast. He told me that the CEO of VeriChip, Mr. Bolton, had told him that there was a plan to use the VeriChip as a global implantable identity system. I asked him if whether in the future you would have to have a chip to get into the club period, and h

  • i can see the ER docs clamoring for this. they won't have to actually talk to the patients as the ambulance pulls them in to the parking lot. the patient record will pop right up on their handy dandy tablet PC without asking. now if there was an implantable etoh meter too

  • I woke up with a massive headache and a funny feeling bump over my eye. 'Must have gotten into a fight!
  • Which would you prefer? Can't buy or sell without it!
  • by zulux ( 112259 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:32PM (#9129939) Homepage Journal


    I'm getting mine implned in my pee-pee.

    That way, I can pay for my hookers at the same time I'm fucking them.

  • About needing to receive the "Mark of the Beast" in order to conduct business?

    I wonder if the RFID implants have the digits "666" on them anywhere :-P
  • if society has decayed to the point where alcohol and absynthe-soaked sluts in Barcelona can wave their hand at a computer for more drinks, we deserve what we get.
  • No. (Score:3, Insightful)

    by lemonylimey ( 745130 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:34PM (#9129965)
    Just to try and head off some of the sillier comments here:

    As anyone working in a Vet's Surgery will tell you, these sub-dermal chips have a read range of about 2-3 inches, so you don't have to worry about the club recording how many times you gave ten euros to the guy in the corner with all the funny bulges in his hat.

    Sorry.

    We will now return you to your normal paranoid service.
  • by Animats ( 122034 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:36PM (#9129996) Homepage
    Once this ties in with slots...
  • Ok, I didn't RTFA so apologies if its there, but there's one thing that I kept wondering about all this.

    I mean, its fine and good if some rich euro-trash model wants to get a chip under her skin so she can be cool and buy drinks faster (means she gets drunk faster and my chances go up faster).

    But lets say she's leaving....does she have the ability to have it removed from her? Something like this could potentially be a real problem trying to get through the metal detector at the airport.

    "Um...no sir....its

  • Yikes (Score:4, Insightful)

    by SmallFurryCreature ( 593017 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:37PM (#9130013) Journal
    Normally I hate christian fundamentalist but on this subject I am right with them. Branding people with a number on their body is just plain evil. Perhaps I grew up to close to the holocaust but the only way someone will mark me with a number on my body is with a toetag.

    Painlessly inserted? How about removed? A passport no matter how good you can always loose. With an rfid tag imbedded this becomes a lot harder. Does any current goverment want to use this? No probably not.

    Then again think of the time when a certain european country started a database with the religion of its citizens and of their parents. And think of the time that passed before its true purpose become known. Can you predict wich kinda goverment we will have in a decade? The US 10 years ago was just getting rid of bush in favor of clinton, the netherlands was all peacefull and quiet with no-one making any political statements that were not Politically correct and politicians getting shot happened elsewhere. (for the non-dutch we had a huge uproar (by dutch standards) when Pim Fortuyn formed his own party and said things that no-one had dared say before but a lot of people were thinking. A openly gay charismatic person with some right wing and some left wing views who looked like he was going to win the election before being killed).

    Scary stuff. Anyone that accepts this is insane.

  • in order to pay their bills without carrying around bulky items such as credit cards.

    Thank god, finally someone has come up with a way to save me from the unbearable burden of hauling my friggin credit card from place to place.[/Sarcasm]

    Now, if a credit card is too bulky for your outfit then you should have some of my sex... with me.

  • by dbretton ( 242493 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @02:16PM (#9130552) Homepage
    Think about it:
    If I get this implanted in my head, I want the dancers get the scanners implanted in their crotches...

    It would make paying my bill pleasurable!

  • by weiyuent ( 257436 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @02:18PM (#9130594) Journal
    On a side note, the Baja Beach chain of clubs is by far the most fun I've ever been to. Mind you I went to the ones in the Netherlands, but I'm pretty sure they're all built around the same model.

    Basically, the theme inside the club is that it's a beach resort. Fake palm trees, fake sand, etc. And the best part? The hosts and hostesses are all super-buff hotties wearing thongs. There's plenty of beefcake for the women and hot flesh for the men -- they literally walk around with only dental floss covering their bodies, selling you drinks on the dance floor. If you're willing to fork over extra money, you get a "body shot" where you drink your drink off the body of the hostess -- although that part grosses me out when you consider who else has licked there. And about every 15 minutes the hosts and hostesses get up on top of the tables and alternate between a male and a female striptease!

    What else could a young, horny lad ask for?
  • by dpbsmith ( 263124 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @03:02PM (#9131271) Homepage
    If you don't know Spanish very well, plug that link http://www.baja-beachclub.com/bajaes/asp/zonavip.a spx into Babelfish and read it. It's all futures. In Babelfish's translation:

    Q: Conrad, you think that the VeriChip will have good welcome?
    A: If, I know much people with desire to implant it to it. At the moment, almost everybody takes piercings, tattoos or silicone.

    They're not doing it yet. They don't know whether anyone will be willing to use it.

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