Why a Wisconsin woman is thinking of letting her employer put a microchip in her hand
Melissa Timmins says she's "on the fence" about letting her employer insert a microchip into her in hand.
"I do think it's pretty cool. I'm excited for my company that we're doing this," the sales director at Three Square Market, a Wisconsin vending machine company, told As It Happens guest host Helen Mann.
"I'm just a little nervous about, you know, putting something into my body like that."
She has until Aug. 1 to decide. That's when the company will hold its office "chip party," where employees can have the rice grain-sized device implanted.
"They said it takes like two seconds, so I'm sure it's just like getting a shot," Timmins said.
The implants are made by Sweden's BioHax International as part of a long-term test aimed to see if the radio-frequency identification chips could have broader commercial applications.
At Three Square Market, their primary function will be cash-free use of the office vending machines.
"We can also enter into the building. You can use it to log onto your computer. Any services like the copy machine or things like that, you can just put your hand up there and log in," Timmins said. "Eventually you can log into your phone, you can get into your car."
Three Square CEO Todd Westby said in a statement the technology could become popular among other companies.
"Eventually, this technology will become standardized allowing you to use this as your passport, public transit, all purchasing opportunities, etc.," he said.
Three Square Market says it is the first U.S. company to offer the microchip technology to its workers — a fact Tiimmins called "exciting."
Privacy and security concerns
Critics of using chips in humans include Nevada state Senator Becky Harris, who in February introduced legislation that would make forced installation of microchips illegal.
"It is possible to hack the information that is contained within the chips," Harris told a state Senate judiciary committee meeting at the time.
But Timmins isn't worried about security or privacy.
"It's very secure. Everything is encrypted. It's a lot safer than carrying around a credit card that can be stolen," she said.
"There's no GPS tracker on this, so they can't track us. I'm more worried about the access they get through my phone than what they're gonna get from this."
Still, she harbours reservations about the physical nature of the procedure, in which the microchip is inserted between the forefinger and thumb using a syringe-like instrument.
"Most people who are a little hesitant, it's kind of the same thing as myself — they're more worried about the fact that it's actually being implanted in our hand," she said.
"A couple of the concerns are if there's an infection or anything like that. I'm doing more research and finding more out about it."
With files from Associated Press