Update: In what feels like a clip straight out of Black Mirror, employees at Three Square Market (32M) were implanted with a microchip [1] on Aug. 1. More than 50 employees received their implants [2] during 32M's "chip party," and several even did it on camera! One employee told the Today show that it felt "better than getting my wisdom teeth out." Check out the chip party video from the Today show, and then read on to learn more about what purpose the microchips serve.
Original story: Buckle up, everyone: the future in which technology is embedded in our bodies isn't far away — it's already here. A Wisconsin-based company is offering its employees a new kind of "perk": implanting a radio frequency identification device (RFID) under the skin, between their thumb and forefinger [3]. The chip would let employees open doors, login to computers, and even buy snacks from a communal vending machine . . . kind of like a key card.
Three Square Market (32M), in partnership with Swedish company Biohax International, announced the optional program on July 20 in a press release. The company believes about 50 employees will participate and undergo the implant on Aug. 1, during a "Chip Party." The RFID chip uses near-field communications (NFC), which is the same kind of technology your phone uses for something like Apple Pay [4].
32M told ABC-affiliate KSTP 5 that the chip will not track employees' locations [6] and that any data received in the chip is "encrypted and secure." Each RFID chip costs $300, but 32M is fronting the costs. The chief executive officer of 32M, Todd Westby, told KSTP 5 that the company merely wants to be ahead of the curve. "It's the next thing that's inevitably going to happen, and we want to be a part of it," he said.
Usually, we're all about jumping on the next tech trend [7] . . . but we think we'd choose to sit this one out.