Ripped from the LA Times headlines (pdf), the article states “the bill would prevent employers in the state from requiring workers to have the [implant] devices.”
First off, I agree with the bill… nobody should be able to be forced by an employer to have something implanted in their body, RFID or otherwise, to be employable.
Now, on the the issues I have with the article and the quotes in it.
“RFID is a minor miracle, with all sorts of good uses,” Simitian said. “But we shouldn’t condone forced ‘tagging’ of humans. It’s the ultimate invasion of privacy.”
They are totally missing the point both technologically and sociologically. It’s not an invasion of privacy… it’s not even a privacy issue. The implant can only be read when a reader is within inches (2-4 inches exactly). An implanted employee cannot be “tracked” anywhere… the implant cannot be used to zero-in on or find a person who is within range because the range of the implant is only 2 to 4 inches. Because of this very short read range, an implantee must physically present the implant to a reader device. That fact essentially forces the reading of the implant to be consensual process.
Once the implant has been read by a reader, the time and place can then be logged… but the act of logging when and where an employee has gained access to a controlled area is nothing new. Employee access is logged no matter what technology you use (keycards, mag stripes, barcodes, keypad access pin codes, etc.)… that’s called logging, not tracking.
My point is that the quote from Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) totally misses the mark. An employer forcing an employee to get any implant (RFID or otherwise) just to be eligible for employment is crossing a big line and potentially putting their employees’ health at risk (any medical procedure incurs some amount of risk). The issue here is simply that – employees being forced to undergo a medical procedure for the privilege of working for the employer – and nothing else.
The other thing that bothers me about the quote is all the fuss about “tagging of humans” people raise a stink over all the time. We’re already a numbered society. Social security numbers, drivers license numbers, license plate numbers, cell phone numbers, credit card numbers, bank account number, etc… why do you think when any of these numbers are “stolen” and used by another person, we call it identity theft? The thing that wigs people out about RFID tends to hover over the implant arena, but it’s not limited to implants. People are wigged out about RFID tags in their clothes and such as well, and with good reason. But while people are raining down hellfire on RFID, they are letting a serious and sinister biometric threat to privacy slip right under their noses (no pun intended).
“CityWatcher.com, a Cincinnati video surveillance company, has required employees who work in its secure data center to have a microchip implanted in an arm.”
This is bogus. Employees HAVE gotten implants, but it’s not required… employees who did not want to get an implant are simply carrying a keyfob. Implantation was (and still is) totally voluntary. Get your facts straight patrick.mcgreevy@latimes.com before fear mongering (or cite your source)… god knows I end up with all the crazies sending me emails when they read this kind of thing, and frankly I’m getting tired of it.
