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Mar 21, 2006 9:24 am US/Central
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People Ditching Keys, Getting 'Chipped'
by Dennis Douda
(WCCO)
Most of us carry large key rings, with everything from the house keys, to office keys to car keys. Now, some people are chucking the keys in favor of their hands.
Amal Graafstra never messes with house keys anymore. The key to opening his door is now literally always at his fingertips.
"There's a small three millimeter by 13 millimeter glass RFID tag in both the right and left hands," Graafstra explained.
Graafstra has Radio Frequency Identification microchips implanted in his hands. When used with RFID readers, they allow him to control devices around his house.
"I can get in my front door, you know, in my car door and log into my computer," Graafstra said.
Mikey Sklar is also chipped, or tagged, as he calls it. He now gets bombarded with questions about it on his Web site.
"Usually questions about why I did this implant, where they can find out some more information," Sklar said.
RFID already helps people pay on the go, helps track shipments and locate lost pets.
The chips Sklar and Graafstra have implanted are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. There is only one device approved for human implantation and it is for medical purposes.
Sklar and Graafstra got their chips from a tech Web site and convinced surgeon friends to do the implants.
"I'm not worried about any kind of ill effects," Graafstra said.
The FDA warns of risks, including rejection or infection with any RFID implants. The FDA hopes that when it comes to the unapproved chips, "the physicians performing these procedures are doing so under proper clinical circumstances."
The FDA also wants to ensure patients are told of the risks, which go beyond the health risks.
"There is a potential for a security problem," said privacy expert Liz McIntyre.
McIntyre said there is proof hackers can clone RFID chips and would then have the ability to get into your house, computer or potentially a secure door in your workplace.
If people go further and program tags with credit card, bank account or medical information, Alex Pang, with the Institute for the Future, said identity theft becomes a major concern.
If you think replacing a credit card is a hassle, Pang said that will be nothing compared to having a surgical procedure to change the chip in your body.
Sklar bought his chip online for about $2 from a company that uses them to track animals at a slaughterhouse. That company said its devices are not for use in humans.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)