Human tagging
A tiny RFID device is implanted subdermally in all employees.
Proximity scanners are then used to identify and track employee movement.
No, it's not a scene from a posthumous Philip K. Dick novel, but an actual scenario that could be playing out soon at a workplace near you.
True news item #1: A company called VeriChip has been licensed by the FDA to sell implanted identification devices. Already 2,000 people have been tagged.
True news item #2: CityWatcher.com, a Cincinnati video surveillance company, has required employees from their secure data center to have a microchip implanted in an arm.
True news item #3: The California state Senate recently passed a bill to prevent "employers from requiring workers to have identification devices implanted under their skin". (The bill awaits Governor Schwarzenegger's approval; he is expected to do so unless of course he receives instructions to the contrary imparted by evil robotic masters from the future).
True news item #4: Nine senators opposed the measure. One senator, Bob Margett, said it is "premature to legislate technology that has not yet proved to be a problem".
Read more at the LA Times.
Well, maybe "under their skin" is a little too invasive. But I'm actually in the process of drafting a project for an RFID-bracelet Human Resources Management system, which would also work with retina identification.
There's also a company claiming to have invented an RFID system that comes in the form of ink. How about tattooing employees with the company logo, talk about loyalty huh? Biometrics can go a long way, hehe.
Keep up the good work with the blog! Greets from NYC.
Posted by: Mariano Malisani | December 07, 2007 at 07:32 AM