# Would you be a dip to try this chip? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 4, 2017, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-dip-to-try-this-chip/783746 "2017-04-04T17:19:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-dip-to-try-this-chip/783746/41 "2017-04-05T18:36:20Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > 1.These scanners that are made so that a card has to be quite close to activate them-are they made that way because they are incapable of reading the cards unless they are extremely close, or are they made that way to prevent people walking by with cards from accidentally popping doors open all the time? Pretty sure they have to be close as the cards have no batteries and have to scrape power from the scanner’s radio waves. > [@](#): > > 1. Would it be possible to implant scanners near doorknobs, in walls, in desks and other places without them being visible? Isn’t the answer very obviously “yes”? Of course the first time you discipline someone for not being at his desk enough, the jig is probably up with your secret scanners. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-dip-to-try-this-chip/783746/42 "2017-04-05T18:39:02Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > This company is a “startup hub”. The purpose of this stunt is to look bleeding edge. It probably has zero to do with keeping better track of employees. If they found out some guy was having sex with whores on a pile of cheetos in the Black Cat bathroom, they probably wouldn’t care as long as he develops decent apps. And that would be fine and dandy if that were true _and_ this company was the only one allowed to use it…but it’s not this particular company that is under discussion. It’s the technology itself. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-dip-to-try-this-chip/783746/43 "2017-04-05T19:04:04Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > The company that chips your cat or dog uses it to find your pet if it is lost-it doesn’t keep tabs on where your pet is and what it does on a daily basis. Sleep. Sleep. Eat. Sleep. Eat. Pee. Sleep. Bat around toy mouse for two minutes. Sleep. Eat. Poop. Sleep. > [@Czarcasm](#): > > Is this supposed “benign” aspect legally enforced, or a whim of the company? I think by “benign,” they mean the surgery is safe and simple, and the device doesn’t cause diseases. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-dip-to-try-this-chip/783746/44 "2017-04-05T20:34:42Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > And that would be fine and dandy if that were true _and_ this company was the only one allowed to use it…but it’s not this particular company that is under discussion. It’s the technology itself. Yes, yes. If in the future our totalitarian overlords put a chip in everyone, and put scanners for that chip literally everywhere, then they can track us as we go from the bedroom to the bathroom. The can also put a monitor in the toilet to analyze our poop. But this particular technology is poorly suited for mass 100% surveillance of everyone everytime. These are just passive chips that require active scanning, and they only return the chip’s ID number. As I said, when the Illuminati decide to track everything you do, they’ll use your phone instead. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-dip-to-try-this-chip/783746/45 "2017-04-05T20:49:56Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > Yes, yes. If in the future our totalitarian overlords put a chip in everyone, and put scanners for that chip literally everywhere, then they can track us as we go from the bedroom to the bathroom. The can also put a monitor in the toilet to analyze our poop. > > But this particular technology is poorly suited for mass 100% surveillance of everyone everytime. These are just passive chips that require active scanning, and they only return the chip’s ID number. > > As I said, when the Illuminati decide to track everything you do, they’ll use your phone instead. You know, there _are_ points between “Perfectly benign” and “Total subjugation of Humanity OHMYGHOD!!” on the scale. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-dip-to-try-this-chip/783746/46 "2017-04-05T21:14:03Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Are there any actual legal restrictions on what may or may not be monitored, where it might be monitored, and when it might be monitored? Are there any laws about showing favoritism to those who get the implants? > > Is this supposed “benign” aspect legally enforced, or a whim of the company? I remember having a conversation with my mother about one big tech company that got sued because they were tracking how long their employees were spending in the bathroom (or tracking their employee badges anyway). Judge ruled this was an invasion of privacy and told them to quit that shit. This was in the 90s. Can’t remember the name of the company. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-dip-to-try-this-chip/783746/47 "2017-04-05T21:50:25Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > I remember having a conversation with my mother about one big tech company that got sued because they were tracking how long their employees were spending in the bathroom (or tracking their employee badges anyway). > > Judge ruled this was an invasion of privacy and told them to quit that shit. This was in the 90s. Can’t remember the name of the company. Were I particularly annoyed at a fellow employee, I could lift his badge and toss it into the **Lady’s Room**. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2017, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-dip-to-try-this-chip/783746/48 "2017-04-05T22:53:16Z")
I doubt I’d do it. For one, I don’t lose things, and when I worked in Corporate American, I had my security badge for 20 years. Never lost it. Secondly, I don’t want some piece of my company implanted in me unless it’s literally MY company. If I did, though, I’d need to know if it could be removed by a method simpler than me cutting it out with a utility knife. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2017, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-dip-to-try-this-chip/783746/49 "2017-04-06T00:07:05Z")
Eh, these conversations seem to get a little surreal. There are plenty of low-tech ways to track people. If you want to see if someone is going to a bar, just go to the bar and see if they’re there. Or ask the bartender. Or send a PI. All of these seem a lot easier than trying to get the guy your tracking to undergo elective surgery to have a chip implanted in his body, than try and surreptitiously put a RFID reader in a place where, if your lucky and the guy passes near enough to it, it will pick up the signal. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2017, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-dip-to-try-this-chip/783746/50 "2017-04-06T00:28:23Z")
You have obviously never been to the [Black Cat](https://mountainx.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/bank2.jpg). :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2017, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-dip-to-try-this-chip/783746/51 "2017-04-06T01:42:35Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > You know, there _are_ points between “Perfectly benign” and “Total subjugation of Humanity OHMYGHOD!!” on the scale. Sure, let’s talk real world scenarios. So you’ve got a chip implanted. What are the bad things that will happen to you? All this is is an employee badge surgically implanted in your body. Which of course is a really stupid and creepy idea that makes no sense, sure. But your employer can’t track you with this chip, except on company property, and only to the extent they place scanners at various places. Most offices have building doors that open only with a badge, and then individual secure areas that need another badge swipe. Some have equipment that needs a badge swipe as well. When I worked at Amazon they had a feature where when you wanted to print you’d send your pages to a cloud print service, walk to any printer/copier, swipe your badge, and your documents would print from that printer. Only a really abusive company would require that you swipe your badge to go to the bathroom, and swipe your badge to get back to your desk. Anyway, the point is that this implanted chip can’t do anything to track employees that couldn’t be done just by requiring them to wear their badge at all times. The only difference is you can’t take it off. But after hours, when you’re not wearing your badge, you’re not anywhere near company sensors that track your badge. So what’s the fear here? Other than the ludicrous grotesqueness of asking your employees to undergo a surgical procedure for no good reason, that is? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2017, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-dip-to-try-this-chip/783746/52 "2017-04-06T01:55:10Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > It’s trivial to read a RFID chip; it would be almost as trivial to make a small patch version that would allow someone to imitate a known-good chipster. That’s not true. Secure RFID systems have a challenge/response protocol that isn’t vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks. They can’t be spoofed just by listening in. I’d be up for this. I hate carrying around this stupid badge. ---
**Author:** ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2017, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-dip-to-try-this-chip/783746/53 "2017-04-06T02:36:44Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > [A Swedish company has started implanting microchips in the hands of some of its workers.](https://consumerist.com/2017/04/04/one-company-has-implanted-tracking-microchips-in-150-employees/) It may be voluntary, but I see at least three problems: > > 1. They cannot guarantee that all the personal information gathered by this chip won’t be stolen, > 2. There is no guarantee that those that have been chipped won’t receive favoritism from the company, and > 3. What are their options if a company or management they do not like/trust takes over the company? > Also, that “Number Of The Beast” thingee. Three important things to consider before voluntarily submitting to the implant. Of course, I am irrelevant in the deal made between the individual and company, and i can accept that. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2017, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-dip-to-try-this-chip/783746/54 "2017-04-06T03:49:49Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > See: _Gattaca_. Same thing except using inherent “chipping.” No, really. See Gattaca. It’s an excellent movie. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2017, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-dip-to-try-this-chip/783746/55 "2017-04-06T08:32:35Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > And the U.S. has speed limit laws…but that doesn’t tell me jack about whether whether school zones are enforced during summer vacations. This technology is rather newish, so “Scandinavia in general is big on employee protection” doesn’t really answer any of the questions I have raised. This new technology may not be covered by existing Swedish law. You can’t terminate an employment without cause. Since there is nothing these chips can do that you couldn’t do with a company ID card, it’s highly unlikely a court would accept an employer coercing employees to implant one. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2017, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-dip-to-try-this-chip/783746/56 "2017-04-06T11:40:05Z")
> [@naita](#): > > You can’t terminate an employment without cause. … I’m pretty sure in the US you can terminate an employee on a whim. And not have to provide any layoff assistance. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2017, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-dip-to-try-this-chip/783746/57 "2017-04-06T11:48:19Z")
The chip does nothing that a keycard, fob or laniard doesn’t ; and comes with a slew of unsavoury connotations and implications. So no, dear employer, I will not let you tag me like I’m fucking cattle. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2017, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-dip-to-try-this-chip/783746/58 "2017-04-06T11:52:01Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > As I said, when the Illuminati decide to track everything you do, they’ll use your phone instead. You say that like they ain’t already doing it 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2017, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-dip-to-try-this-chip/783746/59 "2017-04-06T14:20:05Z")
> [@naita](#): > > You can’t terminate an employment without cause. Since there is nothing these chips can do that you couldn’t do with a company ID card, it’s highly unlikely a court would accept an employer coercing employees to implant one. As has been pointed out, you _can_ be fired without cause. Also, courts will prohibit employees from rewarding those who accept the implants? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2017, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-dip-to-try-this-chip/783746/60 "2017-04-06T14:49:29Z")
In the previous post, change “employees” to “employers”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-dip-to-try-this-chip/783746.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-a-dip-to-try-this-chip/783746.md?page=4)