Note: This is not medical advice. I have absolutely zero qualifications in medicine. I’m only writing about this for general interest and entertainment purposes.
Do you want to get microchipped? Patri Friedman just did it — and it even unlocks his Tesla.
Getting Branded
Patri got the chip in Prospera, Honduras. Prospera is a charter city with some very unusual laws. And they just happen to allow implanting chips in people, if the patient consents.
The procedure went so well, Patri was able to do an interview with the Just Asking Questions podcast from ReasonTV the next day!
In the interview, Patri explains that his chip is just a passive device with an ID inside.
Bump phones with him, and you get his contact info. When he goes to open his Tesla, it unlocks itself.
How It Works
Patri’s chip behaves kind of like an API: it just contains a key that shows his identity. That key could be fed to any number of applications, enabling more and more actions.
Theoretically, Patri should also be able to unlock his house, pay for dinner, and a whole lot more. All that’s missing is the right software to do it.
Engineers could build apps for Patri’s chip. Then, all you need is a garden-variety NFC scanner like the one in your iPhone you use for Apple Pay.
Wild, isn’t it?
Biohacking as a Service
People appear to have been implanting chips under their skin since at least 2005.
I spoke with Patri on Twitter, where he went into some interesting detail on his experience.
Is This the Future?
There’s no way around it: microchipping yourself is weird. I like that Patri embraces that, but I’m not sure I want to.
I love using new technology. But even if implanting my chip doesn’t give me an infection, the idea still makes me queasy.
I may tweet a lot, but believe it or not I really value privacy.
On the other hand, our phones are already in our hands all the time. Is a chip really so different?
In the near term, the more likely form factor is a ring. Engineer Julia Pak in Canada has already done it.
That, I’d try, especially for payments. Imagine buying groceries with your finger…you won’t even need your phone!
And if you don’t want to be tracked right now, just slip it off.
Wrap-Up
“We’re goin’ to a new age, pal,” as Gordon Gekko said in the original Wall Street.
What amazes me most is how common and off-the-shelf this technology is. Add in the right medical personnel, and you could have one in your hand (or anywhere else) lickety split.
Like it or not, this is probably the future. But I’m not so sure I want to be an early adopter.
Would you get chipped? Why or why not?
Leave a comment and let us know!
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Correction: A prior version of this post had some inaccurate details about Patri’s chip. Patri cleared that up and the version above reflects his corrections. Thanks so much Patri, and congrats on being a part of the future! 🙂
More on tech:
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