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.