Wisconsin Company Microchips Employees

A tech company located in Wisconsin is providing its employees a chance to get microchip implants as a way to swipe into the office building, log onto computers, buy snacks, or use the photocopier. The business in River Falls is Three Square Market.

Microchip Implants

The process is voluntary and would involve microchip implants in the employees’ hands. The chips are tiny, measuring about the size of a single grain of rice, and has a similar shape too. Of Three Square Market’s 80 employees, about 50 of them have said yes to receiving the implant. It is a sense of nervousness for some of the company’s employees, while others see it as an exciting opportunity to be a part of cutting-edge technology.

The Wisconsin company is amongst the first one in the U.S. to offer this chip to its employees. This has already occurred at a company called Epicenter. The type of technology is called radio-frequency identification (RFID), and it is similar to that which contactless credit cards use. The RFID chips are manufactured by BioHax International, which is located in Sweden.

The microchip implants were inserted during a “chip party” held by on August 1st at the Wisconsin company’s headquarters. The microchips were inserted between the forefinger and thumb of the employees. The tiny chips are readable up to six inches or 15 centimeters.

Are They Safe?

The news is creating concerns regarding security, privacy, and health. While the chips are encrypted, they may be vulnerable to hacking if they are not truly secure. Also, companies may be able to track things such as the length of meal breaks employees take in the future, and perhaps chips may cause infections that move elsewhere in the body, causing health issues.

The microchip implants are part of a lengthy test to see if this kind of technology could have far-reaching commercial use. This technological advancement opens up the possibility of using standardized RFID chips as your passport, driver’s license, bus pass, and for other opportunities. Yes, this type of activity may be become mainstream within the next decade.