Three Square Market, a software company in Wisconsin, has become the first company in the United States to offer microchip implants for their employees.
“It’s the next thing that’s inevitably going to happen, and we want to be a part of it,” said Chief Executive Officer Todd Westby. His company designs software for break room market kiosks in large office complexes.
The RFID chips (Radio-Frequency Identification) microchips act like an electronic key fob that grants employees access to specific areas in the building, computers, and other equipment. They can also function as a proximity payment method using the same technology that’s found in most smart phones.
Employees can pay for items in the break room or cafeteria with a swipe of their hand over a microchip reader. “We’ll come up, scan the item,” Westby explained while demonstrating the process in a break room market kiosk. “We’ll hit pay with a credit card, and it’s asking to swipe my proximity payment now. I’ll hold my hand up, just like my cell phone, and it’ll pay for my product.”
Over 50 employees at Three Square Market have had the microchips implanted in the back of their hand between thumb and forefinger. The chips are about the size of a grain of rice and are similar to pet identification tags implanted by veterinarians.
Three Square Market insists these chips are unable to track or monitor the user. “There’s no GPS tracking at all,” Westby explains. Tracking and monitoring systems require a power source along with receivers and transmitters for communication with satellite systems. Westby did not comment on the chips capability for tracking employees purchases or access history as they pass through locked doors, login to computers, or use company equipment.
The chips cost about $300, but no employees have been required to receive the implant.
Watch the video below for more information.
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