[ad_1]
The small protrusion on the back of Dave Williams' hand is the size of a grain of rice and lies between the thumb and the index finger. It's almost imperceptible, but when he uses it to open the door of his house, he has become the center of attention.
This British software engineer has implanted by hand a chip, an electronic circuit operating with wireless technology.
Photo: Getty Images / BBC News Brazil
"I have a terrible memory," he told the BBC. So he decided to deploy this little device that allows him not to panic if he had forgotten the keys of his house.
It is the same type of chip as Sweden and other Western countries like Germany, Australia and New Zealand, where several initiatives have been taken to promote this futuristic technology.
But the case of Sweden draws even more attention. Thousands of people in the northern nation, about 3,000, according to an AFP report released in May this year, have already deployed the chip. It is possible that the number is even bigger.
"More and more Swedes put the RFID chip in their hands and use it to open doors and even make payments," says Ben Libberton, a microbiology doctor who works in the MAX IV lab from Lund, in southern Sweden. Sweden.
Microchips are the size of a grain of rice.
Photo: BBC News Brazil
Unlike a barcode, the RFID allows remote access to the information it contains. It is used in antitheft devices, at ski resorts and also in pet identification chips.
They are also present on most smartphones and ePbadports.
But in recent years, its use in humans has gained in relevance. Sweden leads this trend.
The subject started making headlines in 2015 when Epicentes, a Stockholm-based technology company, caused controversy by announcing that it would deploy fleas to its employees.
Of a hand gesture, they could enter the building, use the copier and pay the coffee.
"The main benefit is convenience," said Patrick Mesterton, co-founder and director of the company, in 2017. "This allows you to replace many items, such as credit cards or keys."
The chip can be used to power the copier.
Photo: BBC News Brazil
The chip allows contactless payments, a practice particularly common in Sweden, where only 1% of the value of all transactions was made in cash.
Some of these transactions are done on trains.
The country's largest SJ train company, the largest in the country, is the first in the world to accept this type of payment.
When the bill collector is past, some pbadengers simply place their hand near the employee's smartphone, on which the app is open. The printed pbadage seems to belong to the past.
On this train, it is possible to pay the note with his hand.
Anyone with such a microchip must register on the company's website to get a number and be able to pay.
Stephen Ray, SJ's communications director, is very familiar with the system and has a chip himself.
The employee's cell phone screen indicates that the pbadenger has purchased a ticket. There, he sees the number and the name of the person.
The microchip is implanted under the skin, between the thumb and the index finger.
Photo: BBC News Brazil
"The only information that SJ reads on the chip is the membership number of the loyalty program," Ray told BBC Mundo.
"This number is not confidential and the confidentiality of the customers is guaranteed, in our opinion," he adds.
For the moment, this technology is used in the company only for regional trips. But the plan is to expand the scope.
Still, Ray thinks the deployment of the chip will be "never mandatory" for customers. "It's just an optional service that we always consider a test."
However, not everyone is in favor of the chip or have such an optimistic view of it.
"This technology reduces the number of cards and peripherals we need, miniaturizes them and never loses them," Libberton told BBC News World.
But the microbiologist is concerned about how chips can make the privacy and security of his users vulnerable.
"As these chips are adopted in more digital services, they will reveal more data – it's a fragile security issue," he said.
"Imagine if you use it to unlock your home or access your bank account.I am concerned that convenience does not facilitate access to important data."
And a question arises: "The risks will be even greater when they start incorporating biological data into fleas.If a company knows more about your health than you, what are the ethical implications?"
Its size is tiny, but it can hold a lot of information.
Photo: Paul Hughes / BBC News Brazil
See also:
Earth Innovation: Behind the Scenes of the iFood Expansion
BBC News Brazil – All rights reserved. No reproduction is permitted without the written consent of BBC News Brazil.
