I would never agree to allowing anyone to implant a microchip in my hand. It’s not that I am worried about people monitoring my whereabouts, it’s just that I would never want a foreign object in me. I would be afraid that years from now the authorities would say that the chip was laced with poison. 

All kidding aside, I was horrified to learn that a Swedish company called Epicenter is planning to place chips in their employees. It’s difficult to believe that the chips (the size of a grain of rice) are to monitor bathroom breaks and how many hours they work.  What’s the real truth? 

It worries me that workers are agreeing to this kind of behavior. Or are they? Patrick Mesterton, co-founder and chief executive of Epicenter, a technology company, was quoted on CNBC as saying, “The microchips inserted into employees’ hands simplify their lives.”

He implied that workers can now automatically operate certain devices and communicate by just waving their hands. Many folks think this is a cool advantage. He also justifies his company’s actions by saying that people have been implanting devices under their skin for decades, including pacemakers. It’s not as uncommon as we think. 

That may be true but I’m concerned that people who desperately need jobs in the future will allow themselves be treated like farm animals. As far as I’m concerned, anyone who wears a chip is being programmed and watched in ways we can’t begin to imagine. 

Our future is getting mighty scary.