08-09-2017
Three Square Market in Wisconsin seems to think so. It has offered its 85 employees the opportunity to have microchips inserted under their skin. At a cost of $300 each to the employer, 41 employees have agreed to do it. The chip is inserted into the hand between the thumb and forefinger and is roughly the size of a grain of rice. These chips were made by a company in Sweden that claims approximately 3000 people are using them in Europe.
Currently, the microchip can be used instead of a key for building access, to log onto computers and printers, and even to pay for goods in the company break room. The company insists that the microchip is encrypted and does not use GPS, thus employee privacy is secure. Such microchips have been implanted in dogs and cats for years. The company reportedly hopes to later use the technology for air travel, public transit and storing medical information.
Such chips potentially could be used to track employee whereabouts. Employers currently rely on access cards, login PINs and other devices to track certain activity by employees. The legal ramifications of information gathered from these microchips has yet to be determined.