Alarm over talks to implant employees in the UK with chips | Technology



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The largest employers' organization and the main trade union organization in the United Kingdom have sounded the alarm about the possibility for UK companies to implement microchips in their staff to improve security.

The UK company BioTeq, which offers implants to companies and individuals, has already installed 150 implants in the UK.

The tiny chips, implanted in the flesh between the thumb and forefinger, resemble those of domestic animals. They allow people to open their front door, access their desks or start their car with a hand gesture and can also store medical data.

Another company, Biohax of Sweden, also supplies human chip implants the size of a grain of rice. According to the Sunday Telegraph (£), several UK legal and financial firms are in talks to equip their employees with microchips, including a large company employing hundreds of thousands of people.

The CBI, which represents 190,000 UK companies, has expressed concerns about this prospect.

A spokesman for CBI said, "Although technology is changing the way we work, it makes reading very uncomfortable. Companies should focus on rather immediate priorities and the commitment of their employees. "

The TUC is concerned that staff will be forced to switch to the microchip. Its Secretary General Frances O'Grady "We know that workers are already concerned that some employers are using technologies to control and micro-manage, thereby reducing the privacy rights of their employees.

"The microchip would give bosses even more power and control over their workers. There are obvious risks, and employers should not dismiss them or put pressure on staff to be chipped. "

Steven Northam, founder and owner of Hampshire-based BioTeq, told The Guardian that most of his 150 implants were for individuals, while some financial and engineering companies had also implemented chips in their homes. staff.

BioTeq also installed them at bank employees testing this technology and shipped them to Spain, France, Germany, Japan and China.

They cost between £ 70 and £ 260 per person. Northam himself and all the directors of BioTeq and one of his other companies, IncuHive, have been equipped with an electronic chip.

Jowan Österlund, founder of Biohax and former body piercer, told the Telegraph that his microchips, which cost £ 150 each, could help financial and legal companies improve security. "These companies have sensitive documents that they deal with. [The chips] would allow them to set restrictions for anyone. "

Österlund said that large companies, with 200,000 employees, could offer this option as they please. "If you have a participation rate of 15%, there is still a considerable number of people who will not need a physical identity pass."

Last year, Three Square Market, based in Wisconsin, joined Biohax and became the first company in the United States to microchip its employees on a voluntary basis.

KPMG, one of the four major accounting firms, said it was not planning to draw employees into a microchip and that it "would never consider doing so".

The accounting firms EY and PwC also said that they would not consider the microchip of their employees. Deloitte declined to comment.

Biohax plans to open an office in London, according to its website. He says that 4,000 people have been microchipped, mainly in Sweden. He is working with the Swedish state railway company Statens Järnvägar to allow his passengers to travel via smart implants rather than train tickets. Biohax did not respond to requests for comment.

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