Bicycle anti-theft chip a flop

Creators of a programme to prevent bike theft forgot to consider how easily the computer chip could be removed

At the start of last month bicycle-owning Copenhageners lined up outside City Hall to get what was to be the latest technological advancement at stopping bike theft in the city.

But the computer chip that would allow police to track stolen bikes has proven to be ineffective since it can be easily peeled it off. Around 1,600 bike-owners have been given the chip over the past month and the city’s goal was to hand out 20,000 in all.

Project leader Anne-Mette Felby Madsen called the situation ‘unfortunate’ but said it was addressing the situation.

Comments

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damestjernelys - Okay..

|2009-07-15 12:48:24

I can't help but find this terribly amusing. All that time, effort and money spent on this project and NO ONE was intelligent enough to take how easily the chip could be removed into consideration before the project was implemented? You just can't help but laugh.

tom1980

|2009-07-15 13:06:45

I hate to say it but I told you so! This is hilarious.

The chips were all stuck on the reflectors. So, they can be peeled off. Even if they couldnt be peeled, you could just snap off the reflector.

The chips have to be hidden somewhere and in different places at the very least.

Even if the chips cannot be peeled off, the time the owner sees the email giving their bikes location, the bike will be long gone.

The only real benefit of this scheme has been that the project has provided jobs for Anne-Mette, the database programmers, bureaucrats, telecoms suppliers, government snoops etc.

This scheme has wider implications. It is indicative of people who have no common sense whatsoever but are very quick to trumpet how technologically advanced they are.

andrew! - the joke of the year!

|2009-07-15 18:47:37

Someone should be responsible for the loss of money in this project!

fitosolares - Unfortunate?

|2009-07-16 01:39:24

If I were Anne Mette I would call the situation "my biggest blunder" and immediately hand in my resignation.

sreenivas.hcu - can we have some change of plans

|2009-07-16 07:42:40

I am sure everybody in the company might be thinking of alternative plans.

I will say it is a flop now because it can be peeled of so if we can address that issue that would be nice.

if this can be integral part of the bicycles (atleast new ones that will be manufactured), what I know may be collaborate with the bycle makers etc... Not sure of monetization plans though.

Excuse me if what I say doesnt make sense at all.

tom1980 - The whole scheme is a flop

|2009-07-16 12:49:50

Imagine you park your bike outside the pub and go inside. Someone steals your bike and cycles home on it or loads it into a van.

Once home, the thief removes the chip.

There is no opportunity for the chip to be scanned in the above case.

Yang - There's no doubt...

|2009-07-16 15:30:34

that unless there isn't demanding for 2nd-hand's bikes any more, such or seminor projects would always end with an predictably "unfortunate" situation.

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Bicycle anti-theft chip a flop

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