Entrepreneur Injects Bitcoin Wallets Into Hands

wiredmikey writes A Dutch entrepreneur has had two microchips containing Bitcoin injected into his hands to help him make contactless payments. The chips, enclosed in a 2mm by 12mm capsule of "biocompatible" glass, were injected using a special syringe and can communicate with devices such as Android smartphones or tablets via NFC. "What's stored on the microchips should be seen as a savings account rather than a current account," Martijn Wismeijer, co-founder of MrBitcoin said. "The payment device remains the smartphone, but you transfer funds from the chips." The chips are available on the Internet, sold with a syringe for $99, but Wismeijer suggested individuals should find a specialist to handle the injection to avoid infections.

3 months later

[Anonymous Coward]

Entrepreneur's Private Key Stolen

Why?

[Fwipp]

Why?

Re:

[itzly]

15 minutes of fame.

Re:

[davester666]

next up, some guy injects it into his dick, then announces his dick will pay you.

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[kiphat]

Totally fucking unnecessary, you sick bastard!

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[gargleblast]

next up, some guy injects it into his dick, then announces his dick will pay you.

On that topic: Bitcoin isn't the only thing this guy has injected into his hands.

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[Optali]

Mates... can somebody please explain this to me: The article is about bitcoins, chips and hands... how in hell's name did it end up in a discussion about manly bodily fluids and ways of producing them ?

This world is a sick place, mates, sick as fuck.

Re:

[Optali]

Very handy for the sex workers! And hygienic too!
They could call it "PAYF" (Pay-as-you-fuck)

I see a great future to this invention

Re:

[antdude]

Why ask why?

suggested individuals should find a specialist.

[Anonymous Coward]

Why was my first thought, of a psychologist...

or an oncologist

[frovingslosh]

Enjoy the cancer, fools. There is plenty of evidence that these chips will cause it, particularly if you plan on living more than ten years. Google it for yourself, but here is just one link: http://www.dogsnaturallymagazi... [dogsnatura...gazine.com] Bob Barker also recommends getting your balls cut off at the same time.

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[itzly]

Since the chips are not in contact with any tissue, how exactly are they causing cancer ?

Re:

[frovingslosh]

If you think something inside the body isn't in contact with anything then your understanding of physics and medicine is different than mine. Another good reference is AntiChips.com, they have some good pictures of the tumors that you don't want to believe can be caused. And I have seen this problem myself in at least one dog; my neighbor fosters for the local SPCA, and one of the dogs that she fostered developed a lump at the point of injection in the short time that the dog was in her care. I heard of ano

What crypto?

[Anonymous Coward]

Here is how I would want this to work if I was using this system (I bet it's not implemented this way): I'd put the bitcoins in a address that requires 3 keys to spend it. One would be owned by my phone, so I could use its nice display to view and check the transaction value before approving (Key would be stored encrypted and I'd have to provide a password to decrypt it). The silly injected device would sign any request from my phone (with would authenticate with it) to prevent theft of my phone from accomp

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

Here is how I would want this to work if I was using this system (I bet it's not implemented this way): I'd put the bitcoins in a address that requires 3 keys to spend it. One would be owned by my phone, so I could use its nice display to view and check the transaction value before approving (Key would be stored encrypted and I'd have to provide a password to decrypt it). The silly injected device would sign any request from my phone (with would authenticate with it) to prevent theft of my phone from accomplishing very much (seems redundant really), and the third party would by my home server (likely as a Tor hidden service since that gets you a free publicly routable address). The server would sanity check things, watch for block chain forks, and simply delay or deny any suspect large transactions. Spare keys can be stored offline.

Or you could, well, use real money instead.

Re:

[r.freeman]

Or you could, well, use real money instead.

With old money like paper dollars it requires to steal only 1 thing (the papers in your pocket) to get it, no PIN or password on it and the thieve can spend it quite anonymously with no effort - I think this happens not that rarerly ;)
With dollars in bank account, they require to steal 0 things to take your money, they just take it. Ask wikileaks, charities where banks or usually the paypal frozen their accounts/confiscated and so on.
Not to mention over few years it slowly loses purchasing power.

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[tepples]

But then how would you pay for the cellular data connection with which to connect your phone to your server? Do major carriers in multiple countries take Bitcoin yet?

handshake

[NotInHere]

"Thank you. With this handshake you handed over all your bitcoins to me."

Re:

[ArcadeMan]

"Joke's on you. It's FlappyCoins."

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[ChrisKnight]

FIFY: "Joke's on you. It's FappyCoins."

Geez

[umdesch4]

I love bitcoin. I've mined them, bought them, sold them, bought real tangible (completely legal) things with them, donated to worthwhile causes with them, and have read enough to understand how the whole system works...and even I think this is a downright retarded idea.

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[Opportunist]

I think the reason why you think this is a retarded idea is that you do understand the system...

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[smittyoneeach]

I think the reason you think he thinks he does understand the system probably has something to do with recursion.

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[TheCarp]

I kind of do too, but that doesn't set it apart from many things. Tomorow is sunday, just wake up and go outside in the morning and you will see streams of people heading to big temples to worship retarded ideas.

Re:Geez

[Anonymous Coward]

Leave football out of this discussion.

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[ultranova]

Tomorow is sunday, just wake up and go outside in the morning and you will see streams of people heading to big temples to worship retarded ideas.

I'm pretty sure financial institutions are closed on Sundays.

really clean?

[dltaylor]

Now you not only have to concern yourself with the personal sanitary habits of those with whom you shake hands, but whether they've "cleaned you out", as well.

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[itzly]

He says he's still using his smart phone to make the actual payments.

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[dltaylor]

An NFC wristwatch could access the chips; it's not like NFC is supposed to be secure.

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[itzly]

You can make it secure by encrypting the data that you write to the NFC chip, and then decrypt it on the phone.

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[tlhIngan]

Now you not only have to concern yourself with the personal sanitary habits of those with whom you shake hands, but whether they've "cleaned you out", as well.

Question is - does it not seem like a really good way to track someone?

Sure it's not like they can ping you from space to get your coordinates, but it's like license plate readers - they can identify you and where you were when you were scanned.

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[itzly]

It's much easier to track people by cell phone. The advantage is that you can do that from a mile away, rather than an inch.

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[tlhIngan]

It's much easier to track people by cell phone. The advantage is that you can do that from a mile away, rather than an inch.

Yeah, but what if you know the guy, but don't know his cellphone? Being able to tie a name to a face, an NFC identifier, AND a cellphone turns it into the ultimate cookie.

He changes phones? Well, he's unlikely to change those NFC chips in his hand, so you simply detect nearby cellphones when you scan his NFC tag. Do it a few times and you can narrow down which cellphone it is.

Hacking hands

[paai]

The phrase "hacking hands" suddenly acquires a lot more meaning...

Paai

Pseudo-anonimity no more.

[BigSlowTarget]

So much for being anonymous. That's even better for tracking than a bar code tattoo.

2mm by 12mm

[hedgemage]

That's... not small considering your hands are pretty tightly packed full of muscles, ligaments, and bone with very little free space that doesn't need to flex. twist, or shift during use, and they're always knocking into things. Even if this is a good idea technologically, it sure sounds like its a bad idea for practical reasons, at least until the capsule can be made smaller.

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[Aboroth]

You want inert? Do you even know what teflon *is*? Teflon (PTFE) is used for catheter linings, sutures, synthetic blood vessels, and more. So, it's relatively bio-compatible.

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[Khyber]

Because it's exactly what clueless ACs deserve. No less.

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[udippel]

Expert? Are you? Fine, then. Can you specify, what 'relative' bio-compatible is supposed to mean, please?

Not ready for consumers..

[Anonymous Coward]

Way too fragile to have at hand in my line of factory work... I'm worried about impact effects of that capsule when i hit my hand somewhere while fixing an machine. And i am talking about actual machine where you need wrench, screwdriver, etc... to fix it..

Your in world of trouble and pain if that capsule brakes.

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

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[Richy_T]

I carried one of these around in my wallet for a few years until I lost it. Glass is actually pretty strong and as a small bead in a cushioned area, it would take some major trauma do damage it.

With that said, this is still a retarded idea and has approximately zero to do with Bitcoin.

PROOF that it's retarded

[Anonymous Coward]

I had the same option but went with the two foot bitcoin enabled dildo option instead. It less permanent (in that it can come out at anytime), but in practical daily use I retain it for weeks and just let it emerge enough for me to tap the touch pay systems at enabled vendors,.

"The chips are available on the Internet...

[FatLittleMonkey]

"The chips are available on the Internet, sold with a syringe for $99"

I'm going to inject something I bought over the internet into my hand.

Old fashioned way

[WilyCoder]

I prefer the old fashioned method of shoving dollar bills up my ass

Oh, his OWN hands, right

[wonkey_monkey]

Entrepreneur Injects Bitcoin Wallets Into Hands

You know, you could've squeezed "his" into the title. It's not like you have to pay per character.

I thought he was either selling this as a service or going around at night injecting unsuspecting passers-by.

666

[musmax]

And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name

From Bitcoin to Buttcoin?

[rmpotter]

Surely, the backside will become the natural place to inject this horse's ass of an idea. Maybe payment will is made by twerking? That would explain a few things.

People are lazy

[paysonwelch]

A bitcoin private key is only 64 characters long. Memorize it and recite it every morning.

Re:

[itzly]

Or easier, remember a passphrase and use a hash to turn it into a private key.

It's simply illegal ...

[CaptainDork]

... when he launders his hand after taking a wee wee.