Washington state bill would ban employers from forcibly microchipping workers

[midian182]

WTF?! Welcome to the future, where war is fought using AI and employers force their workers to be microchipped to keep an eye on them. While the former is happening, we're thankfully yet to see the latter being practiced – at least not the forcibly part. If it ever does become a reality, a new bill could make the dystopian nightmare illegal in the State of Washington.

The Washington State Legislature website describes House Bill 2303 as a law that prohibits employers from microchipping employees, which is nice.

Sponsored by West Seattle's Brianna Thomas, the bill specifically states that an employer may not request, require, or coerce any employee to have a microchip implanted for any reason.

There are, of course, no known cases of companies requiring or forcing employees to be microchipped right now. It might sound like something that will never happen, but there are plenty of things in our modern world that once seemed the stuff of sci-fi dystopia, such as AI being used in wars.

If companies do start forcing their employees into pet-like microchipping programs, HB 2303 would see them receive a minimum fine of $10,000 for the first offense, followed by $20,000 charges for each additional infraction.

The bill is, essentially, a pre-emptive measure in case the practice ever becomes widespread. It has already passed the House and is now listed as on the floor calendar in the Senate.

Back in 2018, UK-based company BioTeq said it had already inserted 150 implants into people within the country. While most were for individuals, some financial and engineering firms had the chips placed in their staff as a way of improving security – rather than for surveillance purposes.

Implanted in the skin between the thumb and forefinger, the chips use RFID and NFC, allowing users to perform tasks such as opening certain doors and starting cars. They can also be used to store medical data, which could be accessed if the person was involved in an accident.

Another company at the time, a Swedish firm called Biohax, was also said to be in talks with a number of UK legal and financial firms who wanted to offer the implants to employees. Three Square Market (32M) said in 2017 that it had partnered with Biohax to offer the implants to its employees.

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Washington state bill would ban employers from forcibly microchipping workers

 

[trieste1s]

Mark of the beast?

 

[ScottSoapbox]

I wonder what current government malfeasance this is supposed to distract people from?

 

[Anton Longshot]

Chipping is a stupidly expensive solution.
Just chain employees to their cubicles or other workspace. Also, they'll no longer need stuff like personal belongings or clothes. Or money.
Those that expire can be reprocessed into employee food.
Profit, profit, profit. Hmmm...maybe I should backspace this scheme while I can.

 

[Plutoisaplanet]

If this passes, it says a lot more about Washington legislators than its companies

 

[toooooot]

Severance chipping isn't a bad idea.

 

[bviktor]

I truly hate the AI hype and mass surveillance and all that, but this is fearmongering at its finest.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

I love how upset everybody is at a law being passed to prevent you being property of a corporation. Do those boots taste good?

 

[pnntmp]

What an idiocy ... that's like banning employers from forcibly castrating workers, or from locking them in company prisons .. who in their right mind would even think of that?

 

[Gravitytr1]

What an idiocy ... that's like banning employers from forcibly castrating workers, or from locking them in company prisons .. who in their right mind would even think of that?

That's what everyone said of our current situation decades ago.

Now look at everything

 

[pnntmp]

That's what everyone said of our current situation decades ago.

Now look at everything

What exactly everyone said decades ago?

 

[trparky]

Nice Futurama reference there.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

What exactly everyone said decades ago?

Allowing corporations to dictate how you can use products you've purchased, for starters. Or the idea that you would be forced to maintain a privacy compromising social media profile to get hired, or that you would be fired for personal beliefs, ece.

Here's a better question: what harm does a law like this cause? If it never happens then its just left on file. Why are people so offended by its existence?

 

[daffy duck]

That's what everyone said of our current situation decades ago.

Now look at everything

Did he really need the sarcasm /s at the end of his post

 

[Endymio]

I love how upset everybody is at a law being passed to prevent you being property of a corporation.

The 13th Amendment did that already, 160 years ago.

... the idea that you would be forced to maintain a privacy compromising social media profile to get hired...

Banning a company from researching you before hiring is no different than banning you from researching a potential employer. Would you like it if the government forced you to work for firms you know nothing about?

Here's a better question: what harm does a law like this cause?

I'm glad you asked! Because the law doesn't simply prohibit firms from forcibly chipping people (that's already illegal) -- it prevents them and you from freely agreeing to this. Even, for instance, if the company manufactured these chips and wished to hire employees to test them ... that's illegal under this proposed law.

 

[pnntmp]

Allowing corporations to dictate how you can use products you've purchased, for starters. Or the idea that you would be forced to maintain a privacy compromising social media profile to get hired, or that you would be fired for personal beliefs, ece.

Here's a better question: what harm does a law like this cause? If it never happens then its just left on file. Why are people so offended by its existence?

None of that is really true.
No corporation can dictate you to buy products you can't use as you like. Simply don't buy such products, instead of buying them and then whining. If you think people don't like some product but there's no better alternative, that's a marketing opportunity - create and sell a better alternative.
Nobody is forced to maintain a privacy compromising social media profile. Each profile is as compromising as the owner makes it.
As for being fired for personal beliefs - the worst of wokism is behind us, we'll recover.

The law is an attempt of a politician to gain cheap popularity by fearmongering. There are plenty of real problems around for the politicians to deal with imaginary ones.

 

[BrightlightJohn]

What an idiocy ... that's like banning employers from forcibly castrating workers, or from locking them in company prisons .. who in their right mind would even think of that?

Mao Zedong loving Democrat party

 

[Axeia]

So why are people against this?
The law being ahead of the curve for once and trying to do the right thing for you... that's a good thing.
And yes, think of anything dystopian and companies will try to do it sooner or later.

 

[OortCloud]

Nobody does this and now there's a law ensuring nobody will. End of.

 

[schinbone]

Mao Zedong loving Democrat party

I think you confused the parties here. republicans are the ones running illegal gulags, violating the constitution and stripping people of their rights. Are you proud of being part of the Pdfile Potection Party? The one starting wars and blowing up our economy intentionally. What a misnomer brightlight is, more like BurntoutLED.

 

[Endymio]

So why are people against this?
The law being ahead of the curve for once

Again: because the law is being misrepresented. Forcing employees to be chipped (or anything else) is already against the law. This bill prevents you and your employer from freely agreeing to do so.

Nobody does this and now there's a law ensuring nobody will. End of.

No. There's a bill in one state's legislature ... a bill that will hopefully die in committee without being passed.

I think you confused the parties here. republicans are the ones running illegal gulags, violating the constitution and stripping people of their rights.

No one's been stripped of any rights. And President Obama still holds the record for most unconstitutional acts as judged by the US Supreme Court: 110+ actions struck down, including 44 by unanimous 9-0 decisions, with even the justices he appointed himself ruling against him ... a figure larger than Reagan, both Bushes, Clinton, and Trump all combined together.

 

[OortCloud]

Again: because the law is being misrepresented. Forcing employees to be chipped (or anything else) is already against the law. This bill prevents you and your employer from freely agreeing to do so.


No. There's a bill in one state's legislature ... a bill that will hopefully die in committee without being passed.


No one's been stripped of any rights. And President Obama still holds the record for most unconstitutional acts as judged by the US Supreme Court: 110+ actions struck down, including 44 by unanimous 9-0 decisions, with even the justices he appointed himself ruling against him ... a figure larger than Reagan, both Bushes, Clinton, and Trump all combined together.

The man who pretends he knows about everything continues to argue with everybody else on the internet. Must be exhausting waking up every morning to a new day of pointlessly disagreeing with everything and doing endless searches so you can pretend you know about everything.

 

[lonetac]

The man who pretends he knows about everything continues to argue with everybody else on the internet. Must be exhausting waking up every morning to a new day of pointlessly disagreeing with everything and doing endless searches so you can pretend you know about everything.

most of us have blocked and moved on

 

[Endymio]

The man who pretends he knows about everything continues to argue with everybody else on the internet. Must be exhausting waking up every morning to a new day of pointlessly disagreeing with everything and doing endless searches so you can pretend you know about everything.

Here's a thought: instead of biliously venting insults over having the facts in your posts corrected, why not expend that same energy into attempting to prove me wrong? I'll even thank you for it if you succeed.

 

[OortCloud]

most of us have blocked and moved on

I did block him ages ago but he's come back. Need to get it sorted, it's ruining my mood!