Why future bosses might microchip your hand

A tiny microchip, as small as a grain of rice, implanted beneath the surface of your skin. With the wave of a hand you can unlock your front door, pay for meals, hop on a train without a ticket and log on to your work computer. This is already the daily reality for thousands of employees in Sweden and at least 150 in the UK. The chips, which are similar to those used to identify pets, cost up to 260 per person. They could soon be a lot more common. Swedish company Biohax is in talks with multiple British law and finance firms to offer microchips to workers, including one firm with hundreds of thousands of employees. "These companies have sensitive documents they are dealing with. [The chips] would allow them to set restrictions for whoever," says Jowan Osterlund, Biohax founder and a former body piercer. The potential uses of microchips go far beyond security. Storing identification in your body could eliminate the need for passports or credit cards. A chip could also carry vital medical information, which can be scanned if you are unconscious. But for many, the concept triggers revulsion and fear. "Microchipping would give bosses even more power and control over their workers," warns the Trade Union ConferenceA major organisation of trade unions which seeks to protect and advance workers’ rights.. The TUC fears companies are already "whittling away their staff's right to privacy". Indeed, a recent patentWhen a company comes up with an invention, it can get a court order to prevent any other company copying it. application by Amazon revealed that the company is working on a wristband that could guide a warehouse worker's hand to the object they need to pick up. Meanwhile, companies like Barclays use heat sensor technology to record how much time employees spend away from their desks. In the wake of the Facebook scandal, privacy experts fear that companies could misuse the personal data gathered by the chip. There are also concerns that cybercriminals could hack the information, or clone chips to impersonate individuals. SociologyThe study of social life and the functioning of human society. professor Noelle Chesley claims that one day everyone will be microchipped. "Maybe not my generation, but certainly that of my kids." Should we be excited or scared? It is terrible, say some. Microchips are ripe for exploitation. Employers may soon have the ability to track the location and behaviour of their workers at all times. This could be the death of privacy. That's without considering the criminal potential for cyberattackers and scammers. Big BrotherIn George Orwell’s dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, Big Brother is the supreme ruler of the totalitarian empire of Oceania. It has since become a phrase that is in general use that people use to refer to threats of government surveillance. starts here. That's just scaremongering, reply others. The current chips don't track your location and they aren't active most of the time. Is it really so different from being required to carry a company phone? This technology is already improving security and making our lives easier, and this is just the beginning. We should be excited about its future. Q & A What do we know? BioTeq, a UK based company, says it has implanted 150 microchips in individuals and employees in the UK. Biohax, a company working in Sweden, is in talks with several large businesses in the UK about expanding the technology. The chips are the size of a grain of rice and sit between your index finger and thumb. Currently they can be used to open doors, log onto computers, pay at canteens and store medical data. What do we not know? What capabilities microchips will gain as the technology develops. Journalist Ab Banerjee speculates that chips could build a detailed portrait of an individual worker, including their habits, characteristics and skills, which could be used to make them more efficient. Trade unions fear the technology could be used to exploit and spy on workers.KeywordsTrade Union Conference - A major organisation of trade unions which seeks to protect and advance workers’ rights.