BBC: Human microchips

Now, Harry, do you have many passwords?

Passwords- you mean the set of words and numbers which I keep secret and allow me to access information?

Yes, I do actually. I've got a few for my computer and the different websites I use, and then there are my cards- cedit card, debit card. And there's one for my ID here at the BBC and then there is...

OK, yes! Sometimes I struggle to remember them all. And we are advised to learn them by heart, in other words, to have them memorised and not wirtten down. 

It's for security reasons. If you write them down and lose the paper you wrote them on, then they won't be secret anymore, will they? Now, how would you like to have access to things with no need for passwords or cards?

Yeah, that would be brilliant!

In this programme, I'm going to tell you about a futuristic commercial building in Stockholm, Sweden, where you don't have to remember any passwords, you don't have to carry ID cards and in some cases, you don't even need to carry money to pay for your coffee. (미래지향적인 futuristic)

How does it all work then- by magic?

No, by inserting a microchipo under the skin of your hand! A microchhip is a very small device with an electronic circuit  which can do particular things. In this case, the microchips we're talking about can indentify you. 

Wow! I'm not sure I'd want a microchip inserted under my skin. 

No, me neither. It's insteresting though, isn't it? Before I tell you about this experiment, let's go for our quiz question. And, of course, it's about passwords. Security firm SplashData publishes an annual report about the weakest passwords people use. Well, which was the most common password used in 2014. Was it:

a)  abc 1234   b) the numbers 123456   or c) the words 'trustno' followed by the number 1

I'm going to go for C, 'trustno' 1, because actually it's the only one I hadn't heard of, even though it's very obvious. 

Well, all will be revealed at the end of the programme. Now we are talking about the increasing nedd for ID in a society which works more and more with computers- and you'll learn some related vocabulary. 

Tell us more about this building in Sweden, Neil. You have this microhip put under your skin- and what does it allow you to do inside the building?

Let's listen to the BBC technology reporter Rory Cellan-Jones. He went there for a visit. He uses an expression to say that the technology is not working perfectly yet because it is brand new. What is that expression?

The new offices will soon host a shifting population of 700 entrepreneurs and employees and they'll all be offered the chance to 'get chipped' if they wish. As well as opening doors that will allow them to use the photocopiers and eventually to log on to computers or pay for food in the cafe. The technology is still having teething problems- I found it quite a struggle to activate the photocopier! And amongst the people working here I found some enthusiasm but also caution. The expression is 'having teething problems'. When a new project or device doesn't work perfectly we say 'has teething problems'.

Yes, the microchip allowed Rory to make the prhotocopier work just by swiping his hand over a console. But it didn't work straight away. 

And he tells us that some of the workers are reacting with caution to the idea of having a microhip but under their skin. 'Caution' means being careful to avoid something dangerous or risky. 

It might be risky but we might all be using it one day- who knows? The group running the scheme thinks this might be a good thing. Hannes Sjobland from a Swedish bio-hacking group seems to believe that linking biology and electronic devices can make our daily lives better - but he is concerned about people's freedom.

And what if a government or a big corporation wants to use this technology in the future? What does Hannes Sjobland want to be able to do if it happens? A tip, the word is a verb...

We are early adopters of this technology, we expreiment with it, we learn it, how it works, because I think that there might be a day when the taxman or the big corporates... they will come and say 'hey, try this chip, try this implant' and then we will be able to question their proposals. 

He wants to question their proposals; it means to express doubts about their proposals and intentions. You know what, Neil? I'd rather have my passwords!

Well, talking about passwords, let's go back to my quiz question. I asked what the weakest passwords people use is, according to the 2014 report by the online security film SplashData. The option were: abc123, the numbers 123456 and the words 'trustno' followed by the number 1. 

And I said the third one, 'trustno1'.

And you were... wrong I'm afraid Harry. The correct answer is B. The password '123456' has been named as the worst password to 2014. The other two were also in the list. Before we go, can you remind us of the words we heard today, Haary?