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Comment by voidUpdate | Hacker News Reader

Ever since seeing some videos about it a while back, I've thought it would be cool to get an rfid implant so I can wave my hand at access card things and such like, though I hate needles (my 3 month blood tests are hell) and it's always seemed a little freaky to me. I've also seen videos of people just putting chunks of magnet in their skin (I think I saw cody's lab do it, though I'm not sure) and that seemed extremely sketchy, so I'm glad there are safer-seeming alternatives these days (wrapped in glass etc)

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I’ve also thought of doing this, then i consider the possibility that one day I’m in a car accident and have an MRI while unconscious, only to suddenly reveal to everyone i had metal inside my body.

Improbable but i just don’t think the fun is worth it lol

Yeah, that was another concern of mine, or if I go through an airport scanner and have to answer awkward questions about why I've got a capsule concealed inside my body

As mentioned in the article, that shouldn't be an issue. Many people have reported going through without event. I'm looking to test it in a few months.

Yeah I know, I just get extra concerned about putting stuff inside my body like that :P

A perfectly reasonable concern.

I’ve had one for ~7 years now and fly multiple times a year. I’ve never had it set off the metal detector, or more modern scanners at any security checkpoint in the US, or Mexico.

For magnets, one that Dangerous Things used to sell (discontinued due to low volume) is encased in titanium, even better than bioglass. I have it in a finger and it'll last until I get it removed or die.

I also have an RFID/NFC implant and currently use it to get into my apartment. Have also used it for work and school cards in the past, it's easy to write new cards to it if the chip in the card is one that can be easily copied (most can).

I'd love to get a contactless payment card implanted in my hand, it would be like paying with magic at the shops. But I suspect those can't be cloned.

It's possible to make implantables with some banks through the same methods as wearables, which is pretty convenient. Otherwise, the option is to take your card and (assuming it's of the correct type) cut out the chip inside and coat it to make it safe for implantation. I'm aware of at least one business that offers turning credit cards into implants as a service. Cloning is pretty much a no-go as you suspected.

Can it be done with some kind of reprogrammable chip? I could see myself getting the surgery once, but I definitely don't want surgery every 3 years every time the expiration date on my card resets (or whenever I change banks, etc)

You would need not only to cut out and implant the chip itself, but the sizeable loop antenna that runs in a rectangle close to the perimeter of the NFC card. It'd be a hassle!

My understanding is that it depends very much on the card. Certain ones can be done more or less with just the chip, others are much more involved, and others can't be done at all. From my brief research, there is a lot of technological variation inside credit cards, even if they mostly all look the same on the surface level.

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