Swedes trade swipe cards for microchip implants
by Xavier Symons | 7 Apr 2017 |
A small Swedish tech company is microchipping its employees for security access, in a move that has garnered international attention.
The Stockholm firm Epicenter – a startup hub that is home to over 300 small companies – is offering to implant employees with RFID (radio-frequency identification) chips that are roughly the size of a grain of rice and provide recipients with access to doors and photocopiers.
The chip is implanted using a syringe into the fleshy part of the recipient’s hand, in a relatively short and painless process.
About 75 of the 2,000 people who work for the organizations housed at Epicenter have already elected to have the chip implanted, in addition to another 75 people who have no direct affiliation with the hub, but have attended open events there.
Ethicists have raised concerns about the potential for privacy violations as a result of hacking.
Ben Libberton, a microbiologist at Stockholm's Karolinska Institute, says hackers could conceivably gain huge swathes of information from the microchips, and such information may be particularly sensitive once employers start storing more data on the devices.
“The data that you could possibly get from a chip that is embedded in your body is a lot different from the data that you can get from a smartphone...Conceptually you could get data about your health, you could get data about your whereabouts, how often you're working, how long you're working, if you're taking toilet breaks and things like that.”
The Stockholm firm Epicenter – a startup hub that is home to over 300 small companies – is offering to implant employees with RFID (radio-frequency identification) chips that are roughly the size of a grain of rice and provide recipients with access to doors and photocopiers.
The chip is implanted using a syringe into the fleshy part of the recipient’s hand, in a relatively short and painless process.
About 75 of the 2,000 people who work for the organizations housed at Epicenter have already elected to have the chip implanted, in addition to another 75 people who have no direct affiliation with the hub, but have attended open events there.
Ethicists have raised concerns about the potential for privacy violations as a result of hacking.
Ben Libberton, a microbiologist at Stockholm's Karolinska Institute, says hackers could conceivably gain huge swathes of information from the microchips, and such information may be particularly sensitive once employers start storing more data on the devices.
“The data that you could possibly get from a chip that is embedded in your body is a lot different from the data that you can get from a smartphone...Conceptually you could get data about your health, you could get data about your whereabouts, how often you're working, how long you're working, if you're taking toilet breaks and things like that.”
Saturday, April 8, 2017
The civil war in Syria may have moved into a dangerous new stage. President Trump ordered a strike on a government air force base, blaming the regime for dropping sarin, a lethal chemical weapon, on a northern town. He announced his decision in an emotional speech:
"Assad choked out the lives of innocent men, women and children. It was a slow and brutal death for so many. Even beautiful babies were cruelly murdered in this very barbaric attack. No child of god should ever suffer such horror."
As everyone knows, there are no good guys in this appalling war. The attack on Khan Sheikhoun was just more spectacular than the daily slaughter of three here, a dozen there. If you consult the website of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights or Syria Deeply, the headlines are enough to make anyone weep. One of the most distressing aspects of the conflict is the "weaponisation of healthcare" -- deliberately targeting medical personnel and facilities to terrorise the population. You can read about it below.
Oh, I almost forgot: there will be no newsletter next Saturday because the BioEdge team will be celebrating Easter. Cheers!
Oh, I almost forgot: there will be no newsletter next Saturday because the BioEdge team will be celebrating Easter. Cheers!
Michael Cook
Editor
BioEdge
| NEWS THIS WEEK | |
by Michael Cook | Apr 07, 2017
Rebel hospitals and clinics targeted by air strikesby Xavier Symons | Apr 07, 2017
A Singaporean court has ruled that parents have a strong interest in their 'genetic affinity' with their children.by Xavier Symons | Apr 07, 2017
A small Swedish tech company is microchipping its employees for security access.by Michael Cook | Apr 07, 2017
Male gametes become a commodity which crosses bordersby Michael Cook | Apr 07, 2017
It will run out of lethal drugs before the end of April.by Xavier Symons | Apr 07, 2017
A new set of 23andMe genetic tests have been authorised by the FDA.by Michael Cook | Apr 07, 2017
It could stigmatise the elderlyBioEdge
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