Companies implanting employees with microchips

[VogueMusic]

Cyborgs at work: employees getting implanted with microchips

 JAMES BROOKS,Associated Press 9 hours ago 

 

STOCKHOLM (AP) — The syringe slides in between the thumb and index finger. Then, with a click, a microchip is injected in the employee's hand. Another "cyborg" is created.

What could pass for a dystopian vision of the workplace is almost routine at the Swedish startup hub Epicenter. The company offers to implant its workers and startup members with microchips the size of grains of rice that function as swipe cards: to open doors, operate printers, or buy smoothies with a wave of the hand.

The injections have become so popular that workers at Epicenter hold parties for those willing to get implanted.

"The biggest benefit I think is convenience," said Patrick Mesterton, co-founder and CEO of Epicenter. As a demonstration, he unlocks a door by merely waving near it. "It basically replaces a lot of things you have, other communication devices, whether it be credit cards or keys."

The technology in itself is not new. Such chips are used as virtual collar plates for pets. Companies use them to track deliveries. It's just never been used to tag employees on a broad scale before. Epicenter and a handful of other companies are the first to make chip implants broadly available.

And as with most new technologies, it raises security and privacy issues. While biologically safe, the data generated by the chips can show how often an employee comes to work or what they buy. Unlike company swipe cards or smartphones, which can generate the same data, a person cannot easily separate themselves from the chip.

"Of course, putting things into your body is quite a big step to do and it was even for me at first," said Mesterton, remembering how he initially had had doubts.

"But then on the other hand, I mean, people have been implanting things into their body, like pacemakers and stuff to control your heart," he said. "That's a way, way more serious thing than having a small chip that can actually communicate with devices."

Epicenter, which is home to more than 100 companies and some 2,000 workers, began implanting workers in January 2015. Now, about 150 workers have them. A company based in Belgium also offers its employees such implants, and there are isolated cases around the world where tech enthusiasts have tried this out in recent years.

The small implants use Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, the same as in contactless credit cards or mobile payments. When activated by a reader a few centimeters (inches) away, a small amount of data flows between the two devices via electromagnetic waves. The implants are "passive," meaning they contain information that other devices can read, but cannot read information themselves.

Ben Libberton, a microbiologist at Stockholm's Karolinska Institute, says hackers could conceivably gain huge swathes of information from embedded microchips. The ethical dilemmas will become bigger the more sophisticated the microchips become.

"The data that you could possibly get from a chip that is embedded in your body is a lot different from the data that you can get from a smartphone," he says. "Conceptually you could get data about your health, you could get data about your whereabouts, how often you're working, how long you're working, if you're taking toilet breaks and things like that."

Libberton said that if such data is collected, the big question remains of what happens to it, who uses it, and for what purpose.

So far, Epicenter's group of cyborgs doesn't seem too concerned.

"People ask me; 'Are you chipped?' and I say; 'Yes, why not,'" said Fredric Kaijser, 47, the chief experience officer at Epicenter. "And they all get excited about privacy issues and what that means and so forth. And for me it's just a matter of I like to try new things and just see it as more of an enabler and what that would bring into the future."

The implants have become so popular that Epicenter workers stage monthly events where attendees have the option of being "chipped" for free.

That means visits from self-described "body hacker" Jowan Osterlund from Biohax Sweden who performs the "operation."

He injects the implants — using pre-loaded syringes — into the fleshy area of the hand, just next to the thumb. The process lasts a few seconds, and more often than not there are no screams and barely a drop of blood. "The next step for electronics is to move into the body," he says.

Sandra Haglof, 25, who works for Eventomatic, an events company that works with Epicenter, has had three piercings before, and her left hand barely shakes as Osterlund injects the small chip.

"I want to be part of the future," she laughs.

 

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/cyborgs-employees-getting-implanted-microchips-125759240.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jazzy Jan]

OMG.   Sounds like a science fiction nightmare.  Micro management and "big brother is watching you"  combined.  Very scary stuff. 

[XXL]

They started doing this with pets, "to track them in case they get lost", sure

Cashless society increasingly coming to fruition and the chip is going to play a big part in it too. The Internet of Things being just another privacy abolishing scam of course.

[karbatal]

Is this true? Since when is necessary to implant a microchip to make the printer work or the door open when you can so easily do that with a card? Stupid workers! 

With pets, though, it's very practical. If you find a dog and has a chip you can easily find the owner. 

[runa]

The future is scary. As a society, if we accept this, what will be the limit?? 

[Rebel Saviour]

Scary, indeed. ....

[Kilt]

The company offers to implant its workers and startup members with microchips the size of grains of rice that function as swipe cards: to open doors, operate printers, or buy smoothies with a wave of the hand.

[jaron]

Thats a good reason to become unemployed and getting social welfare....Never ever I will let a microchip in my body...

[5iVe Elements]

Scary and foolish (on the part of those willing)

[Raider of the lost Ark]

They have parties when someone gets chipped? When I read that, the first thing that came to my mind was a scene from the movie Logans Run, when they have to go into the carousel once their "clocks" turn red. That was a celebration as well. Or so they thought.

[horn]

Some people actually want to be tracked or monitored or worse.... controlled?  

Have they watched "Kingsman: The Secret Service"?

And how do you get rid of the chip when you leave the company?

Why can't they use biometric? My company uses face recognition for door access and thumb print for printer.

[Rebel Saviour]

This shit should be forbidden in every corner of the globe. ...

[Gaudet]

Sounds like a Black Mirror story... Scary stuff.

[Robin]

Ill let them tag me im a simple man who occasially wanks. 

[Nick]

Employers shouldn't be doing this.

I cherish my privacy! 

[Martin B.]

Just NO.

[karbatal]

Is this story true, though? It seems some viral shit about some movie. 

[VogueMusic]

47 minutes ago, karbatal said:

Is this story true, though? It seems some viral shit about some movie. 

I try not to post "fake news".  And if you click the link to the actual article, there is a video with the article interviewing the company and employees, I believe.

Also, this kind of technology has been discussed for years by experts who say more of it is coming, with some having already volunteered for it for various reasons.

[runa]

I'd be surprised Associated Press would share a fake story. Seems a reliable source to me.

[ULIZOS]

Seems practical

[Nikki]

I once saw a documentary about this.. on how people today can't believe that this would be happening and that no one will want others to watch them and maybe even control them or instruct them to do things in the future but the thing is.. people will WANT it. just have apple or Samsung or whatever create a fun gadget that makes something more convenient and slowly but surely more and more people will say yes to this, no matter how crazy it sounds now. 

[Barney]

Me no likey. Not that I do anything wrong and its bound to happen to all of us eventually but we should stop it in its tracks. What happened to feeling free? I don't even like to wear a watch or take out a mobile phone.

[karbatal]

Our phones send our situation all the time. Nobody is watching us but they can if they want.  Even with the GPS off. 

[Nessie]

That is so very Black Mirror!

[karbatal]

Well, our 2005 selves would see 2017 as a scary dystopia, with the economic crisis, rampant unemployment, labor rights in decline, terror attacks in Europe, Trump, Brexit, LePen, the socialnets retardation, Madonna not being number 1...