It was in January 2024, when Neuralink Corp. a company by Elon musk implanted its first brain chip called “Telepathy” in a 29-year-old accident victim to help him regain control of his paralyzed limbs. While this technology could actually help humans achieve a cyborg status it is far away from being available as of today
But the same cannot be said for RFID chip implants. The procedure of inserting a tiny RFID chip capsule in-between your thumb and index finger is getting to increase popular among tech enthusiasts. There are nearly more than 6000 people in Sweden who have had a chip insert already and is also catching up into other courtiers like Germany which also has more than 2000 chip implants done already
We decided to cover an article on RFID chip implants when we noticed that RFID chip implants are also catching up in India, and there are people who have already received an implant in India. The article aims to answer the most basic questions like how does this tech work? How does it affect daily life? Is it legal? Is it medically safe? Etc.
What is an RFID chip Implant why are people getting one?
RFID technology is not new; in fact, most of us have experienced it in one way or another. RFID access cards are very popular in corporate offices to provide access to employees, RFID tags are popular in dress shops to prevent shoplifting, and there are even RFID key fobs that can lock or unlock your vehicle. So yes, we all have been using RFID in one form or another.
The idea of RFID chip implants is to extend the same technology as a biological chip implant. Instead of you having to carry different cards for digital access, you can implant an RFID tag, and this tag carrying your personal identification can be used to unlock doors, turn on your car, or even make payments. Sounds like a tech from the future, right? Except it's not, RFID chip implants are currently being used in pets and cattle to track them, but in recent days, there is a huge community of people who are using the same. What is even more scary? Most of this procedure is done as a DIY. Yes, let's talk more about it.
RFID Chip Implant can Open Doors, start a Bike and even Share Insta. Profile
Meet Mithun Devaiah, an engineer from Bangalore who has gotten RFID chips implanted in both of his hands. As shown in the video above, with this implant and a little bit of hardware tinkering, he is able to turn on his bike, open office doors, and even share his Instagram all with a single swipe of his hand.
As a hardware enthusiast Mithun, was exploring around Arduino and RFID technology when he stumbled across RFID chip implant and how it is used in animals. After learning that it can be used for humans, he purchased it online and tried approaching doctors to have it implanted. But since there was not much awareness about it, he implanted these chips by himself by watching online tutorials and has been using his implanted chip for almost two years now. When Circuit Digest asked him about any disadvantages of using the chip, he replied:
Getting an RFID Chip Implant
Getting an RFID chip implant is easier that it should be. I am writing this article from India, and it took five minutes of google search to find an RFID implant chip that I can use myself, that’s it no medical prescription needed, its available just like that. As you can see in the below picture the RFID implant chip gets shipped with a syringe and is ready to use out of the box.
I in no means want to encourage people to use these, so the vendors name will be hidden. But the points are it can be purchased by anyone with an internet and few bucks to spare.
Self-Injecting RFID Chip
This is where things got scary at least for me. These RFID chips are not implanted by doctors but is it done as a DIY procedure. Yes, there are tons of videos out there which shows how a person can inject these RFID tags by themselves.
People who are enthusiastic about it claim that the procedure is relatively safe, and the capsule is being inserted under the skin between your thumb and index finger. This place supposedly has no bones nearby and the chip itself can stay there without restricting any normal activities. While this is not comfortable for a person like me, there are people who have taken this daring step to get an RFID chip implanted.
Are RFID Chip Implants Safe? – Doctors Perspective
Despite seeing a lot of people successfully self admistering RFID chips and reading through a lot of assuring answers from the online community, we wanted to get a professional Opinion. Luckily, we were able to find Dr. Vishal Mishra, who was kind enough to answer few questions about what might go wrong with an RFID implant India.
Q1. Can this RFID chip Implant be self-administered? As a doctor what is your advice?
The mere fact that you showed me this syringe and that its widely accessible and people are already using it as self-admiration is scary. I see cases in wards, and emergency departments every day and sometimes even trained people can get things wrong during a medical procedure. So yes, if you ask me, I would say self-administration for an RFID Chip Implant is scary.
Q2. Will people with RFID chip Implants be able to take MRI scans?
There are no particular guidelines for an RFID chip Implant and MRI scanning. So, the first reaction would be from the grounds of rejection. MRI machines are expensive and sensitive, so even if someone wants to help you, they will have their doubt. What if the RFID chip gets magnetized or heated, or in worst case pulled out of your skin and into the machine. I am not sure what materials is used in these devices, but considering safety and lack of awareness a person with Chip Implant might very well be rejected for an MRI scan.
Q3. Assume someone with RFID chip Implant, wants to get it removed. Would you attend it? Is there any legal complication?
I have been practicing medicine in new Delhi for quite some time, and if someone comes to me with such complication, there is no legal complication or law that will stop me as a doctor from helping the patient to reverse that situation. We see lot of cases with foreign body insertion, especially in elementary canal or in accidents. So, there is no law stopping us from helping them. When someone needs it to be remove, we will help them with most septic and precautionary method possible.
It will be a simple procedure, unless something is already broken inside, and the parts are scattered. In that case we have to salvage the tissue and sometimes it can even lead to amputation.
Q4. If someone who is very interested in this technology walks into a clinic and asks help to get the RFID Tag safety injected will you help them?
As a doctor I would have to ask WHY? Are the benefits surpassing the risks associated with it? Even if I am convinced, I will not do it. I would send the person to a therapy or counseling. So yes, absolutely not.
Can RFID Chip Implants be Hacked?
Apart from the Medical and Legal complications. Another common question is, can this RFID chip be hacked?
The RFID implant tags are a type of passive RFID tag, meaning they do not have a battery or any power source of their own. They have to come in contact with a frequency from an RFID reader to be able to send out the data stored in it.
The frequency rage of the RFID chip implant tags is very low, around the 125KHz and 13.5Mhz. Low frequency means low range, this is why you have to place your tag very close to the reader for it work. While there are high frequency RFID tags which can operate in long range (like Fastag), almost every RFID chip implants operate on the low frequency. This means that for your tag to be hacked or even read, it has to come in very close proximity to the reader. Also, each RFID has a unique hardware ID which cannot be dublicated.
As confirmed by Rupesh Surve, a hardware security researcher. RFID tags operating on 125KHz and 13.6MHz are for small range (upto 10cm) applications and it cannot be read even by hackers without getting into close proximity. But RFID technology by itself is very vulnerable. The are several tools and methods available using which one can simply clone the RFID Tags.
Long story short, RFID chips are reliable for applications which does not require high security, but it is not the safest technology to store sensitive data.
Conclusion – Should you get an RFID Implant?
Unfortunately, the answer to this question is outside the scope of this article. We wrote the article with an intention to educate people who are curious about RFID implants.
That being said, we hope you enjoyed reading this. If you have any questions leave them in comment section and we will discuss your thoughts.
