Man Fined For Implanting NFC Train Ticket In Hand (cnet.com) 107
Unhappy Windows User writes: An Australian man, when checked by a ticket inspector, claimed his smart travel card was implanted in his hand. He took the case to court and lost; the fine and legal fees add up to AU$1220 (USD $950). The man, who self-identifies as a biohacker and is a member of the Science Party, accepts the ruling but states that it won't discourage him from further biohacking. He claimed he was ahead of the law. The prosecution argued that, by cutting the chip out of the card, the ticket was invalidated. It is not clear from the article whether the NFC chip was working correctly and could be read by the inspector, or not. Further reading: BuzzFeed News
$1220 fine? (Score:2)
Equivalent to over $1000US. Wee bit harsh, no? Around NYC, if you don't have a ticket, they make you buy one for a bit of extra money ($5, I think). On express buses, if you don't have a ticket, the fine is around $100.
$1000 is robbery.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
You really don't get what's going on here, do you?
It wasn't the man wasn't taking the government to court, the prosecution was the GOVERNMENT. If they really wanted to save money, they could just have NOT TRIED THE CASE.
Re: (Score:1)
Well no again. They didn't pursue court-directed legal action. This guy contested a fine in court and lost.
2 things about the Australian court system which make them vastly superior to the jokes in the USA: Loser pays and no punitive damages. If you're provably in the right, you don't have to worry about defense costs. If you're provably in the wrong (especially in civil matters, like copyright), they can only claim direct and provable damages rather than the thousands to millions of dollars thrown around i
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Instead of having the fine reversed he decided to go to court, effectively he is suing the government at this point - the government has no choice but to respond, the guy has a right to his day in court. Tur
Re: (Score:2)
Having a judgement rendered against you (a fine or otherwise) and then appealing it is not "suing the government".
He had a valid, paid fare, that he was able to prove on-site. If this were any private company, they'd be able to kick him off, at most.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Nope -- courts should be tax-supported.
No thanks. Australia has far less frivolous lawsuits thanks to the way our courts are paid for.
Paying a penalty for daring to defend yourself isn't in the interests of justice
Paying a penalty for someone else daring to take you on isn't in the interest of justice. He didn't pay a penalty for daring to defend himself, he paid a penalty for being stupid. His arguments in court were that he is not guilty because the law itself is wrong. He didn't even try and defend himself against the breach of the law he was being charged against.
Re: (Score:2)
Nope -- courts should be tax-supported. Paying a penalty for daring to defend yourself isn't in the interests of justice, since it discourages people from defending themselves in court. Basically, it's a racket.
Well, the alternative is a world where the worst that could possibly happen after you've expended all your legal avenues is to pay the original amount disputed. That would encourage being an insufferable dick. Part of the goal of the civil system is also to encourage people to solve disputes themselves first or as early as possible and not roll those costs over on everyone else by taxes. While it might mean they presume a certain omniscience being found wrong means you were the problem here. You were the re
Re: (Score:1)
Next he will be sued for the irrecoverable damage caused to the australian judicial system by making this case public.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Our politicians are too spineless to put real change through, instead they just cruise along while infrastructure goes to shit, wage growth stagnates and housing prices sky rocket. I think the last effective PM we've had was Howard - for good (guns) and
Re: (Score:2)
No, only a $220 fine. He then took it to court. In Australia there is a loser pays system and he had to pay the $1000 court costs.
Joke's on him (Score:2)
The serial number for smart card is 666.
Implant Error (Score:3)
Well, no wonder it didn't work. A 666 smart card has to be implanted in the forehead, not the hand.
I thought everyone knew that.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I get my mythology from the Boomer Bible, you insensitive clod.
I think they ought to be a bit lenient towards him (Score:2)
it's still readable. (Score:3)
It is not clear from the article whether the NFC chip was working correctly and could be read by the inspector, or not.
BBC [bbc.com] reports the implanted chip is still readable.
Chip could be read (Score:2)
The chip could be read. At least that's what German IT news site Golem claims [golem.de].
Meow-Ludo Disco Gamma Meow-Meow (Score:4, Insightful)
The guy's name is Meow-Ludo Disco Gamma Meow-Meow.
Really.
How does he expect people to take him seriously? (That's a serious question.)
Re: (Score:3)
You better watch this right meow [youtube.com].
Re: (Score:3)
The guy's name is Meow-Ludo Disco Gamma Meow-Meow.
How does he expect people to take him seriously?
I agree completely! I mean, everyone knows that Disco is dead. Does he really think people are going to just believe he's a zombie? If they did then wouldn't they just try to decapitate him immediately?
Serious questions need serious answers, people! ;)
Re: (Score:2)
The guy's name is Meow-Ludo Disco Gamma Meow-Meow.
THAT is why he was convicted. Since the chip still scanned validly as a ticket, he might have had sympathy from the public in contesting the charge had he gone by an ordinary name.
Re: (Score:2, Troll)
Jesus. Recycle his cellular material right now.
Wait, is he from the Baltimore Meow-Meows? I think I went to school with one of his brothers.
So, he's probably a furry as well as a biohacker. Can I get one of the portable sterilization units over here right now? I think we have someone who must never be allowed to procreate.
Re: (Score:1)
I know him personally. He's won several international awards for setting up bio-hacker spaces, has started several companies and is one of the nicest guys I've met.
An article, from before he was fined:
“[Australia needs] less career politicians and more ordinary people and educated professionals.”
Educated Meow is, with qualifications in molecular genetics from the University of NSW, biohacking grabbing his attention the most – this is where the Opal Card stunt came in.
http://www.illawarrame
Re: (Score:2)
The guy's name is Meow-Ludo Disco Gamma Meow-Meow.
He probably could gotten off with an insanity defense.
Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop (Score:1)
He is likely to be taken as seriously as Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/beezow-doo-doo-zopittybop-bop-bop-arrested_us_56b1b6aae4b01d80b2448897
or Julius Andreas Gimli Arn MacGyver Chewbacka Highlander Elessar-Jankov
https://www.buzzfeed.com/awesomer/julius-andreas-gimli-arn-macgyver-chewbacka-highla-cci?utm_term=.gcJgqlqX6#.mp1e3w38Q
Re: (Score:3)
sanity(Member of the Australia Science Party) = sanity(Member of US Libertarian Party)
Actually the Australia Science Party doesn't sound bad: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Perhaps we need a party like this.
Moral of the story (Score:2)
The prosecution argued that, by cutting the chip out of the card, the ticket was invalidated.
Next time, implant the entire card.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
How is it invalidated... (Score:1)
He still f'ing paid for the ticket. That he has the physical card or just the chip shouldn't matter, he had a paid for ticket. His lawyer was terrible for losing this.
Re:How is it invalidated... (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:3)
But he destroyed the property of the issuer.
Re: (Score:2)
If that was even true, they'd have to prosecute everyone who loses their card. Because that's the same thing, legally.
But in any event, that's not what the case was over. He had a legal fare.
You're out of order (Score:2)
Stop attempting to use logic, this is a court room sir!
Re: (Score:2)
If that was even true, they'd have to prosecute everyone who loses their card. Because that's the same thing, legally.
But in any event, that's not what the case was over. He had a legal fare.
Losing a card and willingly destroying it is hardly the same thing in regard of the law.
Re: (Score:2)
That's right - under the conditions of issue, you never own the card, so you're not allowed to damage it. Fair enough, but really, he met the moral conditions - he paid for a ticket, the transport agency received payment for his travel. f'kin idiots.
read bait (Score:3)
He was fined because "The prosecution argued that, by cutting the chip out of the card, the ticket was invalidated.".
Re: (Score:2)
He was fined because "The prosecution argued that, by cutting the chip out of the card, the ticket was invalidated.".
The solution: next time he needs to implant the whole card in his hand.
Re: (Score:2)
As long as he doesn't mind cutting it out of his hand for the conductor, I'd imagine that's fine.
Re: (Score:2)
He was fined because "The prosecution argued that, by cutting the chip out of the card, the ticket was invalidated.".
The solution: next time he needs to implant the whole card in his hand.
Then, when asked, he can simply play his hand.
Re: (Score:2)
The solution: next time he needs to implant the whole card in his hand.
Except, of course, for the part that has his picture on it.
Re: (Score:2)
If you cut the serial number out of a piece of currency, do you think you still can spend that small rectangle?
Re: (Score:3)
not a valid analogy at all, the serial number is not used for any transaction.
my credit card number is good without the card, that's the analogy.
Re: (Score:2)
Sure it's read bait. But it got both you and I to contribute.
I think we get a trophy or somethin'.
Re: (Score:2)
They should have demanded the card back (Score:1)
And then removed his appendage in the process.
Hey, it's like when you forget a payment on your organs, they send out biohackers to hack it out of you.
He broke the “don’t destroy your card& (Score:3)
Re:He broke the “don’t destroy your ca (Score:4, Insightful)
Yeah, I don't see them going after any school kids that lost or destroyed these cards. Flushing it in the toilet, microwaving it, lighting it on fire, etc. You know, typical kid stuff.
This is very much a case of the law being applied on a technicality in order to intimidate one person. When so many other cases where the technically applies are ignored.
Re: (Score:2)
Any business would only care if he had paid for the service.
Oh you implanted it in your hand that's uhhh neat? It's still $20 a swipe tho. *beep* Oh it worked how about that have a nice day sir.
So either after implanting it it didn't work either because something broke or they need other information from the card (maybe that particular reader required a magnetic strip?)
Or maybe they just happen to be jerks.
Re: (Score:2)
Or maybe they just happen to be jerks.
Government service attracts officious bureaucrats like flies to shit.
Re: (Score:2)
Has anyone come up with a solution to that yet?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Donald Trump would make a great king, him being a stable genius and all.
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, I don't see them going after any school kids that lost or destroyed these cards. Flushing it in the toilet, microwaving it, lighting it on fire, etc. You know, typical kid stuff.
Because they aren't still trying to use them. If your card is damaged, you are told to get a new one. If you don't, then you get fined.
This is very much a case of the law being applied on a technicality in order to intimidate one person. When so many other cases where the technically applies are ignored.
Are you one of those FOTL nutters?
The full story is that he was told to get a replacement card (in accordance with the terms and conditions). He argued with the transit guard who had enough and issued him with a $220 fine and the instruction to buy a new Opal card. Idiot with stupid name decided to fight it and go to court, he lost in court because the transit authority w
Re:He broke the “don’t destroy your ca (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
If he's smart he will implant the entire card in his hand.
If we're lucky, he will implant the entire card in his head.
putting a chip under your skin isn't biohacking (Score:3)
For those missing the finer detail (Score:2)
Meow-Meow is "ahead of the law," his lawyer Nicholas Broadbent told the ruling Magistrate
Ultimately this was an exercise in stupidity. He was charged for defacing and not having a valid ticket. And his defence was that he was ahead of the law because the law didn't take into account that someone may be able to cut up the ticket and still pay for the transport.
It is a very strange way to try and defend yourself.
Re: (Score:2)
He should just move to Sweden where implanted NFC chips is already being offered as a ticket solution by the main railway company SJ https://www.stockholmdirekt.se... [stockholmdirekt.se]
This is a success story: (Score:2)
An Australian man and member of the Science Party wanted more government involvement in transportation.
An Australian man and member of the Science Party experienced more government involvement in transportation!