Interesting Engineering – by Loukia Papadopoulos
The Michigan House passed a bill on Wednesday making it illegal for companies to force microchips on employees, reported ABC. The use of such technology has been on the rise lately.
“With the way technology has increased over the years and as it continues to grow, it’s important Michigan job providers balance the interests of the company with their employees’ expectations of privacy,” State Representative Bronna Kahle of Lenawee County, who sponsored the bill, told ABC.
Kahle added that although the chips are not a big problem at the moment in Michigan, she wanted to get ahead of the issue.
“While these miniature devices are on the rise, so are the calls of workers to have their privacy protected,” she told ABC.
The new miniature microchips are about the size of a rice grain and are normally implanted in employees’ hands to track productivity. This allows superiors to look for ways to boost efficiency.
The microchips can also take the place of time cards, ID badges, and security clearance devices. Some even come with credit card technology.
The technology, for now, has been safe for use in the human body but comes with a profound violation of privacy. The new bill would still allow employees to be microchipped if they want to do so. It would just ensure that the procedure is not mandatory.
Some find the chips useful and convenient while others profoundly fear them. Whatever people think of these chips it is good to know that we would have the choice not to implant them.
What do you think of the microchips? Are they an efficient way to boost productivity and make life easier or are they a violation of privacy?