In a prior post, I discussed that radio frequency identification (RFID) microchip hand implants were being offered to tenants in one Swedish office complex for such uses as operating doors and photocopiers. The biohacking group offering the implants says that it wants to explore the technology before others–corporations, governments, etc.–purportedly will want the chips to be required. There have been reports of employers offering RFID chip implants to their employees in security-sensitive positions. Despite rumors in 2012 and 2013 that Obamacare would require RFID chip implantation for U.S. citizens, those claims have been proven false.

While there are no reports in the United States of forced RFID chip programs, there are laws in the United States that prohibit the mandatory implantation of such devices. Several states–including California, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin–prohibit the mandatory implantation of an RFID microchip by employers and others. These laws subject the offenders to criminal charges or fines.

Even for non-mandatory RFID chip implant programs, I continue to caution employers to familiarize themselves with the laws in their states around RFID chipping if they are considering offering RFID chip implants to their employees.

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