RFID Chips Will Be Implanted in Employees in Wisconsin

In August, a technology company located in Wisconsin will be the first company in the United States of America to begin inserting RFID microchip implants into the hands of their employees.

Three Square Market, a technology company located in River Falls, Wisconsin will begin inserting RFID microchip implants into the hands of their employees on August 1st, 2017. The company states that the chip will be inserted between the thumb and the first finger “within seconds”. More than 50 of their 80 employees have volunteered to have these tiny devices implanted under their skin.

This company has a few plans for the use of this device. They say that it will allow employees to buy items such as food and gain access to the building and their computers by a scan of the hand. The Chief Executive Officer Todd Westby who spoke with KSTP-TV stated, “It’s the next thing that’s inevitably going to happen, and we want to be a part of it.”

Some people may have thought that they would never see the day where this would actually be happening, particularly in the United States. But, in fact this has already begun happening. It has been being performed on livestock for years now, and one of it’s first introduction to humans began with a company in Sweden called Biohax international, with whom Three Square Market is partnering with.

In a statement issued by Three Square Market Westby said, “We foresee the use of RFID technology to drive everything from making purchases in our office break room market, opening doors, use of copy machines, logging into our office computers, unlocking phones, sharing business cards, storing medical/health information, and used as payment at other RFID terminals. Eventually, this technology will become standardized allowing you to use this as your passport, public transit, all purchasing opportunities, etc.”

Westby also stated that the microchips are not currently mandatory and that they do not have a GPS tracking feature.

This matter has often been a topic of concern and controversy, and attracts increasing interest from both sides in response to the events and developments of this time era.

Alessandro Acquisti, a professor of information technology and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College said, “Companies often claim that these chips are secure and encrypted, but “encrypted” is a pretty vague term which could include anything from a truly secure product to something that is easily hackable.”

Dr. Acquisti also observed another potential problem and believes that the technology designed for one purpose today may be used for another purpose later. A microchip implanted to allow for easy building access and payments could, in theory, be later used in more invasive ways, for instance to track the length of employees’ bathroom or lunch breaks without their consent or even their knowledge.

“Once they are implanted, it’s very hard to predict or stop a future widening of their usage,” said Dr. Acquisti.