📺 Stream EntrepreneurTV for Free 📺

Biohacker Plans to Sue After Authorities Deactivate Transit Pass Embedded in His Hand The man cut the chip out of the travel card, encased it in biocompatible plastic and had it implanted under the skin on his left hand.

By Mariella Moon

entrepreneur daily

This story originally appeared on Engadget

Shutterstock.com

Meow-Ludo Disco Gamma Meow-Meow couldn't just toss away his New South Wales transit pass even after he found out that it got deactivated while he was on a trip to the U.S. See, Meow-Meow (yes, that is his legal name) cut the chip out of the travel card, encased it in biocompatible plastic and had it implanted under the skin on his left hand. The biohacker now plans to file a lawsuit against New South Wales' transport authorities, not just to fight the decision, but also to help create laws around body-hacking tech. In addition to the transit pass chip, Meow-Meow has two other implanted electronic components in his body, including one that can store his important documents.

"This is case law in creation and it's fun to be at the centre of this," he told Australian Associated Press. "This is a scenario so unusual that their lawyers never foresaw this happening because, if they did, they would have written it in there."

New South Wales' authorities deactivated the card under Meow-Meow's name after his surgery in April 2017 made headlines. However, since the chip implanted in his hand wasn't registered to him, he was able to use it for almost a whole year -- only downside was that he sometimes had to swipe his palm over the scanner more than once. It was only after he traveled back to Australia from a cyborg convention in the U.S. that authorities were successfully able to cut off the card he's been using. He found the fact that his card was deactivated after the convention "ironic and hilarious," since the event was all about "regulation and cyborg rights."

Before this happened, Meow-Meow was already scheduled to appear in a Sydney court in March to contest a $200 fine he was slapped with for riding a train without a valid ticket. Clearly, the world's not ready for implanted transit passes just yet.

Mariella Moon is an associate editor at Engadget.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Growing a Business

Starting or Growing a Business? Here's How to Know When You Should Hire Your First Employee.

When enlisting help, follow these steps to make the best decision for your company.

Growing a Business

Your Comprehensive Guide to Becoming an SEO Expert – and Making Money While Doing It

Whether you're looking to earn more money or grow your digital presence, becoming an SEO expert could be a major windfall.

Business News

Southwest Airlines CEO Says the Company May Start Assigning Seats

The airline reported its Q1 2024 earnings on Thursday.

Business News

These 'Expressive Avatar' Deepfakes From a Billion-Dollar AI Startup Look Scary Real — Here's Who's Already Using the Technology

Is that a real person or an AI clone? New technology makes it nearly impossible to tell.