Workers at Wisconsin company to get microchips
25 Jul 2017
Some workers at a company in Wisconsin will soon get microchips implanted in their skin to enter the office, log into computers and even buy a snack or two with just a swipe of the hand.
Todd Westby, the CEO of tech company Three Square Market, told ABC News today that of the 80 employees at the company's River Falls headquarters, over 50 had agreed to get implants. He added, however, that participation was not required.
The microchip makes use of RFID - radio frequency identification - technology and was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2004. The microchip which is the size of a grain of rice will be placed between the thumb and forefinger.
According to Westby, when his team was initially approached with the idea, there was some reluctance mixed with excitement.
However, following the release of more details and conversations, the majority of managers came on board and opted to partner with BioHax International to get the microchips.
According to Westby, the chip was not a GPS, did not allow for tracking workers and did not require passwords.
"There's really nothing to hack in it because it is encrypted just like credit cards are. ... The chances of hacking into it are almost nonexistent because it's not connected to the internet," he said. "The only way for somebody to get connectivity to it is to basically chop off your hand."
RFID technology or Radio-Frequency Identification, which uses electromagnetic fields to identify electronically stored information, is often referred to as "chip" technology. The option had become very popular in the European marketplace.
The technology works on near-field communications (NFC); which is also used in contactless credit cards and mobile payments. The implant which is done between the thumb and forefinger takes only seconds.
