Olympic Tickets Contain Microchip With Your Data

OMNIpotusCOM writes "Tickets to the Olympic opening and closing ceremonies will contain a microchip with information about the ticket holder, including a photograph, passport details, addresses, e-mail, and telephone numbers. The stated intent is to keep troublemakers out of the 91,000-seat National Stadium so that they cannot cause disruptions while China is on world-wide television, but it brings up serious concerns for privacy and identity theft."

Oh the irony.

[mrbluze]

.. it brings up serious concerns for privacy and identity theft.

Coming from a nation that brings up serious concerns for pretty much every other human right I can think of, this comes as no surprise.

Just wait this is only the first

[arthurpaliden]

Actually the real scarry thing is that if it works there then we are sure to see it used in other venues where security is a consern such as the World Cup (Soccer).

I don't see the problem

[Phantombrain]

I don't see the problem with this. It's not like China has ever has taken advantage of technology to control people there. There aren't any stories of people being arrested just for disagreeing with the government. There aren't any human rights issues in China.</sarcasm>

Re:Oh the irony.

[Brian Gordon]

How is this irony? How can you possibly go to China and not expect these sort of massive privacy/rights violations?

OMG

[iminplaya]

Ticketmaster China

Call me a skeptic, but

[Prisoner's Dilemma]

Call me a skeptic, but I don't see how having my email address embedded in a ticket would keep out troublemakers.

Maybe they feel there's a correlation between someone who doesn't want to share personal information and troublemaker.

Re:Oh the irony.

[mrbluze]

ow can you possibly go to China and not expect these sort of massive privacy/rights violations?

Because for a second people might be thinking China might at least try to be nice for a change, at least to foreigners with whom they might want to do business.

Re:Oh the irony.

[Anonymous Coward]

Anyone who thinks that hasn't paid any attention to China for decades.

Re:Inevitable

[mrbluze]

So, while the natives are doing their sacrificial dance around the flame and we sit in the big cauldron, we should remain informed and alert, fully aware of what's happening as the hairy guy in the funny hat puts the flaming torch at the base and we start enjoying a terminal hot bath, knowing full well that Tarzan will come and save us?

Life's no Hollywood movie. People DO get boiled in cauldrons and we ARE screwed unless we act. Being alert and informed isn't enough.

Those pesky troublemakers, eh?

[Attaturk]

The stated intent is to keep troublemakers out of the 91,000-seat National Statdium so that they cannot cause disruptions while China is on world-wide television, but it brings up serious concerns for privacy and identity theft.

I'd say it also brings up pretty serious concerns about the various definitions and interpretations of the word "troublemaker". Perspective is a wonderful thing - until they take it from you. ;)

Wrong Order

[camperdave]

We will eventually have computer chips embedded under our skin - it will start with a way to track children, then a way to expedite purchases, then a way to hold critical medical info and so on.

I think you've got some things out of order. We've already started by chipping pets and certain researchers. I think the next thing would be chipping soldiers as a replacement/supplement to dog tags. Once there, it will be a small step to chipping the elderly and ill, especially Alzheimer's and those who tend to wander off and forget things. Next will be children. Then, last of all, joe consumer. After all, Joe can carry a paypass RFID keyfob, or an RFID credit card. So why get it implanted?

Oh, and prisoners. They'll wind up getting chipped at some point as well.

China does not have to be nice.

[arthurpaliden]

So long as everyone wants to buy cheap stuff at WalMart, the foreigners will not care about the human rights record of China only that they saved 'all this money' buying stuff they do not need with money they do not have.

Re:Those pesky troublemakers, eh?

[Anonymous Coward]

Thats a cynical statement belieing a true fact that its all up to intpretation. As a mind in the US inudated with us "propaganda" all your life you probably impling that china "troublemakers" aren't really "troublemakers". In this sense "troublemaker" is an interpreted form as "insurgent" in Iraq. Other see them as patriots defending the country the disconnected from its people leadership in the US label them as "troublemakers/terrorist/insurgents". Each gov't can decide who they view as a troublemaker. Its not up to you to decide? Why do you think you have the right to judge another country gov't? The cynicism just befuddles me.

Re:Inevitable

[networkzombie]

There is a huge difference between voluntary and mandatory. This is the Union. You're thinking of Britain. Try that mandatory shit here and hundreds of Michigan militias, California cults, and Utah polygamists will forcibly remove every senator and congressmen and throw them into the Boston Harbor. It will be the Boston RFID Rave of the century. China can do what it wants... for now.

Re:Well That's It

[NoobixCube]

What's totally unlike the PRC is that we've heard about it.

The home of the free?

[thesupraman]

ROTFL

Yes, thats why we see the good ole US of A protecting its citizens rights so very very well these days.

Tell people that it will stop the terrorism, drug problems, and help them buy new Hummers, and people will be voting FOR it, not against.

After all, pretty quickly the majority will see that this would be a great way to accurately identify those 'troublemakers' you mentioned, and keep them out of their nice safe middle-class lives.

I estimate that if you chipped the soldiers overseas, at least 20% of the US population would get chips just to show their support!

Re:cruise

[geekoid]

explain how having personal information would prevent any trouble makers, or terrorists?

Re:If you are not a Chinese citizen...

[pythonist]

You tell the foreign side of story. I will tell you from the Chinese side. As a Chinese, I don't see any problem neither. As long as I buy tickets using my credit card, my info is already there. Ticket contain my name in DB is not a problem at all. We can tolerate some level of privacy violation for safty reason, just as Americans can tolerate tight security check in airport. Check in Chinese airpot is like a joke before recently for Olympics but we dont' think it has anything to do with freedom. We simply don't need such security level before Olympics. Foreigners simply don't understand the way Chinese people do things --- we don't deem personal freedom in No.1 priority and there are many things more important to our value system such as family and social harmonious. PS. I'm new to writing here so If someone tell me how to paragraphing I will appreciate much.

Re:I laugh at all anti-China comments

[vigmeister]

While your point about ignorance causing the anti-Chinese sentiment is something I agree with, your disparaging comments about the US and Europe not changing/progressing rapidly and shrinking instead seems to be just as ill informed.

Cheers!

bad people

[poptones]

with... flags! Those evil terrorists might unfurl a flag and kill... no one!

It's sad the tone of this article from CANADA so readily equates acts of terrorism with the possibility of someone simply unfurling a tibetan flag. Is it just the english speaking countries that have gone completely batshit insane, or is liberty actually enadangered EVERYWHERE in the world now?

Re:cruise

[Pascal Sartoretti]

i can understand China's point of view of trying to keep out bad people

Sorry, for me the chinese government are the bad people.

Re:cruise

[aussie_a]

In China someone is a terrorist if they believe in free speech and decent wages.

Re:Inevitable

[aussie_a]

we ARE screwed unless we act

So what are you doing besides posting on the interfrets?

Re:Really worse than the last one?

[Hal_Porter]

My fascist ISP won't let me send packets on their network unless I put a MAC address in them and and IP address.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:Well That's It

[Porsche917K]

Sod the PRC. If it's been done once, I'd bet good money on exactly the same system being used in London in 2012, too.

Yay.

Re:And If I go to the US (rant/troll)

[lgw]

And the Chinese are probably not actively rude to you during the entry process either, something we in the US *really* need to fix. If we're going to collect all this info from visitors, at least we should do it politely! I'm very pro-US by /. standards, but this situation is an embarassment to the nation - there's no excuse for thus sort of rudeness by government officials.

Re:Well That's It

[CmdrGravy]

Actually I think the Government has some sort of wet dream of using the Olympics to roll out some of it's identity card nonsense so expect it to much worse than anything China is currently planning.

Re:Well That's It

[mdwh2]

If it's been done once, I'd bet good money on exactly the same system being used in London in 2012, too.

Exactly the same? No, no - whatever China do to invade individual privacy, you can be sure that the UK Government plan to outdo them ;)

As an added bonus, all of the microchipped tickets will be lost in the post.

Re:bad people

[Free the Cowards]

Is it just the english speaking countries that have gone completely batshit insane, or is liberty actually enadangered EVERYWHERE in the world now?

It's the latter. However, this is no change from before. Liberty has always been endangered everywhere in the world. Liberty is not the natural state of humanity. It can only be preserved through the constant actions of those who support it.

Re:If you are not a Chinese citizen...

[theJavaMan]

Foreigners simply don't understand the way Chinese people do things --- we don't deem personal freedom in No.1 priority and there are many things more important to our value system such as family and social harmonious.

I guess you really do deserve the country, the government and the society you have.

Re:If you are not a Chinese citizen...

[pythonist]

The same to you.