Company to chip employees

[kaiju_wars]

So a company called, Three Square Market, has announced that they will be implanting microchips on roughly 50 of it's employees.

 

Source:

http://fortune.com/2017/07/24/microchips-employees/

 

Three Square Market is a company that basically creates "fancy break rooms."  It allows employees employed by companies that have Three Square kiosks to order food and other goods.  They are based in River Falls, Wisconsin.

The company has stated that the chipping is optional and completely voluntary

Quote

Three Square Market's CEO Todd Westby told St. Paul's KSTP News that the optional program will let users with implants pay for their snacks by holding their hands up to the sales kiosks.

As it shows in the quote this is an optional program and it's to let users pay for their food just by holding their hands up to the sales kiosks.

Of course, you have people on both sides of the fence that as soon as they hear that someone is being chipped, they freak out. 

Three Square Market has commented on this also.  

Quote

The oblong chip—about the size of a grain of rice—is implanted between a person's thumb and forefinger, and costs about $300. The company says it will pay that fee for each chip.

 

Data flowing between implant and reader is encrypted, Westby added. They are not GPS-enabled, meaning the chips cannot be used to track people, he underscored, which may come as a relief to those who worry about employee privacy. (Or, maybe not.)

So to try and ease concerns, the company has already stated that the chips are not GPS-enabled.

Though, according to the article, the technology provided:

Quote

For the chip program, it is working with Biohax International, a Swedish company specializing in "smart biometric sensors." The embedded chip uses the same sort of near-field communications (NFC) technology that enables people to hold up their phones to a device to make payments. The chips also rely on wireless RFID (radio frequency identification) technology used to track packages in transit.

 

How is this relevant?  Well it depends on how you see this.

One could see this as the future of commerce, and how this will basically make everything easier and a more streamlined process.  In that sense, it can be great for the consumer.

 

Others can see this as a bigger conspiracy.  It'll only make it easier for companies and governments to track your every move, and lead to an overall stronger surveillance state.

 

Of course, then you could even get religious, for those of you who are, and see this as a sign of the mark of the beast from the bible.  (I'm not saying this is what it is, I'm just saying how some people could see it like this).

 

Now I can't cover every possible way to look at this under the sun.  But there is another YouTuber I like, ReviewTechUSA, who gives his input as well.  I'll link his video for anyone interested in watching.

This is my first time sharing a news story on here, I'm hoping I did this right!

 

Video as promised:

 

[aisle9]

Nope.

 

Nope nope nope nope nope.

 

I can't help but think back to the interview Adam Savage did post-Mythbusters when he was asked about topics they had been told not to touch. The only one was RFID. After they did the RFID tag in Kari's arm, they were summoned to a conference call with Discovery's legal team and the legal teams of many, many companies with a vested interest in keeping RFID capabilities silent and told in no uncertain terms that they were never to explore that topic again.

 

What were those companies hiding, hm? And what about that phone call would make anyone want to trust one of them not to "accidentally" enable GPS or some other form of tracking data in the chip they shove into your palm?

[Changis]

18 minutes ago, kaiju_wars said:

-snip-

personally, i don't think the majority of people are ready nor willing to have an implant over say using their phone for the same exact use.. with payment by phone increasing and until there is a developed standard for implants (so you don't need different ones for different stores etc) i don't think this will ever become mainstream, atleast not in the next ten years or even more..

Edited July 24, 2017 by GoodBytes
Reduced quote

[TimeOmnivore]

Damn, beat me to it.

But yeah, this seems like a really interesting implementation of this kind of tech, though I do worry that if it takes off in popularity that its potential for misuse will increase exponentially. This particular instance doesn't have GPS, but I can't see that, and other potentially worrisome features, remaining off the table for very long, especially if this concept becomes more widely used.

 

At least in seems easy to insert and remove, for now.

Quote

"It takes about two seconds to put it in and to take it out," [VP of International Sales, Tony Danna] told the BBC. "Putting it in is 'like getting a shot' using a syringe, while taking it out it like removing a splinter."

 

I don't know about you lot, but I'm definitely not up for getting chipped. Not until I have to in order to do anything.

[kaiju_wars]

Just now, TimeOmnivore said:

Damn, beat me to it.

But yeah, this seems like a really interesting implementation of this kind of tech, though I do worry that if it takes off in popularity that its potential for misuse will increase exponentially. This particular instance doesn't have GPS, but I can't see that, and other potentially worrisome features, remaining off the table for very long, especially if this concept becomes more widely used.

 

At least in seems easy to insert and remove, for now.

 

I don't know about you lot, but I'm definitely not up for getting chipped. Not until I have to in order to do anything.

I'm not for it that much at all personally.  I'm not some big conspiracy theorist, but this I just can't trust to much.

Especially when we see how well we can trust the US government to respect the privacy of it's citizens.

[Changis]

8 minutes ago, aisle9 said:

Nope.

 

Nope nope nope nope nope.

 

I can't help but think back to the interview Adam Savage did post-Mythbusters when he was asked about topics they had been told not to touch. The only one was RFID. After they did the RFID tag in Kari's arm, they were summoned to a conference call with Discovery's legal team and the legal teams of many, many companies with a vested interest in keeping RFID capabilities silent and told in no uncertain terms that they were never to explore that topic again.

 

What were those companies hiding, hm? And what about that phone call would make anyone want to trust one of them not to "accidentally" enable GPS or some other form of tracking data in the chip they shove into your palm?

don't even need to implement gps.. it can just be passive.. the detectors reads the chip, and logs the location and time onto a database over wifi, mobile, wired infrastructure etc.. if you know where your detectors are...
it's the exact same way to trace card transactions.. cards don't have gps, but you can track the usage from registerred terminals..

[GoodBytes]

1. I don't see any advantage of this over a normal RFID cards.
2. RFID card needs to replaced every couple of years. so you'll need an operation each time.
3. RFID standard and tech changes over time, so you'll need an operation each time. (let alone a system got compromised and the bank/office changes the technology to newer versions)
4. If that is the future in payment and everything, then expect criminals to cut off your hand.
5. Can't wait someone to give them your their hacked phone to check out something or you hold something and clones the RFID chip. Much secure.
6. How many RFID you'll need under the skin? One for each credit card, one for the office, one for your car, one for the points card at the super market.... I think you get the picture.
7. No idea on the long term impact on the body for everyone. Implanting foreign object in the body doesn't have any guaranty that no reaction will take place.

[aisle9]

Just now, GoodBytes said:

1. If that is the future in payment and everything, then expect criminals to cut off your hand.

Even if they like your face?

[Billy_Mays]

Long thread but really cool idea 

[goodtofufriday]

Just now, GoodBytes said:

1. I don't see any advantage of this over a normal RFID cards.
2. RFID card needs to replaced every couple of years. so you'll need an operation each time.
3. RFID standard and tech changes over time, so you'll need an operation each time. (let alone a system got compromised and the bank/office changes the technology to newer versions)
4. If that is the future in payment and everything, then expect criminals to cut off your hand.
5. Can't wait someone to give them your their hacked phone and close the RFID chip, much secure.

Basically agree to all of this. 

 

All rfid are rated for only so many swipes. And the tech is changing too fast right now. Down to the frequency of the same tech. 

 

[yathis]

Sounds like Fake News to me.

Has CNN picked up the story yet?

[kaiju_wars]

2 minutes ago, GoodBytes said:

1. I don't see any advantage of this over a normal RFID cards.
2. RFID card needs to replaced every couple of years. so you'll need an operation each time.
3. RFID standard and tech changes over time, so you'll need an operation each time. (let alone a system got compromised and the bank/office changes the technology to newer versions)
4. If that is the future in payment and everything, then expect criminals to cut off your hand.
5. Can't wait someone to give them your their hacked phone to check out something or you hold something and clones the RFID chip. Much secure.
6. How many RFID you'll need under the skin? One for each credit card, one for the office, one for your car, one for the points card at the super market.... I think you get the picture.

My old boss got one in her because she had a condition where'd she just black out and go wandering off.

Apparently it's just like a shot, and it's in. (Granted with a much bigger syringe). 

Don't know if this is how they'll do this one though.

[GoodBytes]

Just now, kaiju_wars said:

My old boss got one in her because she had a condition where'd she just black out and go wandering off.

Apparently it's just like a shot, and it's in. (Granted with a much bigger syringe). 

Don't know if this is how they'll do this one though.

But the problem is removing it. Not inserting it.

[Guest]

Definitely not. Its bad or not they probably use the microphones in our phones (most likely) And I dont think it is really

26 minutes ago, kaiju_wars said:

a sign of the mark of the beast from the bible.

 

but it could lead to it (not sure if thats what you meant to say, you can tell I thought about that from my sig :b)

 

2 minutes ago, Billy_Mays said:

Long thread but really cool idea 

Cool idea, but not for us. Think of what this would allow big corporations to do and to save a few seconds from pulling out another device?

[kaiju_wars]

Just now, GoodBytes said:

But the problem is removing it. Not inserting it.

According to her, they just sliced the skin and used tweezers.  

If you want to say that's a full operation, I mean, sure.

 

But again, I don't know how this company plans to do all this.  I'm just basing off of how I know someone else did it.

[MoonSpot]

2 minutes ago, GoodBytes said:

1.  
2. RFID card needs to replaced every couple of years. so you'll need an operation each time.
3. RFID standard and tech changes over time, so you'll need an operation each time. (let alone a system got compromised and the bank/office changes the technology to newer versions)

If that were true....HellooOOoo paid sick leave!  I'll take 2 please

These damn old RfID chips of mine always hurt more when its raining.

[kaiju_wars]

Just now, kaiju_wars said:

According to her, they just sliced the skin and used tweezers.  

If you want to say that's a full operation, I mean, sure.

 

But again, I don't know how this company plans to do all this.  I'm just basing off of how I know someone else did it.

I agree partially, not for religious reasons, but I just don't think corporations or government can be trusted anymore than with what they already have.

[Brooksie359]

who in the world would want this? is that hard to use a card or phone? I don't even care about the security issues i just think its an impractical solution to a problem that tbh isn't actually a problem.

[PCGuy_5960]

Do we need more surveillance?

[Sauron]

WHY would you implant things into your hand when you can use your phone in the same exact way? Or a credit card which you probably have in your pocket anyway?

33 minutes ago, kaiju_wars said:

Of course, then you could even get religious, for those of you who are, and see this as a sign of the mark of the beast from the bible.  (I'm not saying this is what it is, I'm just saying how some people could see it like this).

Well that would be a pretty big leap for a company's dermal implant to be some sort of mark of the devil  doesn't seem any worse than tattoos to me (in fact it's probably less intrusive and easier to remove).

[kaiju_wars]

2 minutes ago, PCGuy_5960 said:

Do we need more surveillance?

Some companies think so.

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Brooksie359 said:

who in the world would want this? is that hard to use a card or phone? I don't even care about the security issues i just think its an impractical solution to a problem that tbh isn't actually a problem.

If there werent security issues it would be nice. Except the cons outweigh the pros in this case. And exactly about pulling out a card/phone

[Guest]

Just now, kaiju_wars said:

Some companies think so.

No the companies are thinking "do we need more money/information"

[kaiju_wars]

Just now, Sauron said:

Well that would be a pretty big leap for a company's dermal implant to be some sort of mark of the devil  doesn't seem any worse than tattoos to me (in fact it's probably less intrusive and easier to remove).

Hey, rules said to state how it's relevant.  I figured, "eh, at least one person will find this relevant, even if I don't believe it."

 

But I get your point.

[Mira Yurizaki]

I read that this policy isn't mandatory.

 

However the biggest concern I have with RFID embedding is this: what happens if someone's compromised? They can't/won't exactly call the company to tell them to invalidate their RFID.