On August 1, 2017, 32M, located in Wisconsin, is offering its employees the ability to have RFID chips implanted into their hands to make purchases at the company break rooms, open doors, use the copy machine and log on to their company computer. On top of that, the employer issued chip can store medical and health information. Participation is voluntary.
According to the company, “Eventually, this technology will become standardized allowing you to use this as your passport, public transit, and all purchasing opportunities.” Questions employees may wish to ask include:
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What information is the employer collecting and storing?
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What is the company doing with the information collected by the chip?
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What is the rate of infection for the implant?
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Are there any long-term health effects of an implantable chip?
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What happens to the chip when I leave the company?
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What happens to the data collected by the chip when I leave the company?
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Can I have access to the data collected by the company?
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Is the chip connected to the Internet and therefore, potentially hackable?
Collecting identifiable data through an implantable chip is no different than surfing a company website or downloading an app. In all of these instances, your data is being gathered, accessed, used and potentially disclosed. Consider these questions (and others) so you understand what is being done with your data in exchange for the convenience of not having to punch a code into the copy machine to make a copy. Whatever you decide, understanding what is being collected and used is important information to consider before you make the decision to participate or not.
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