RfidImplants
Latest
California says employers can't require RFID implants
The debate over RFID implants continues to rage on several fronts, as California has just enacted a measure prohibiting employers from requiring employees to get tagged. The bill's sponsor, state senator Joe Simitian, says RFID is a "minor miracle," but called mandatory tagging "the ultimate invasion of privacy." California joins Wisconsin and North Dakota in prohibiting required RFID implantation, and we'd expect to see other states follow suit -- although embattled RFID vendor VeriChip says only 2,000 people have implants, the jury is still out on safety of the devices, and the idea of being required to get an implant is pretty distasteful -- exactly the sort of soundbite-friendly issue a politician can get behind.
California senate votes to block mandatory RFID in employees
It's already taken aim at mandatory RFID tracking of students, and now the California state senate is looking to ban the chips from being forced upon employees of all sorts across the state. According to The Los Angeles Times, the new bill specifically bans mandatory RFID implants, and doesn't appear to encompass RFID technology used in cards or badges. While he called RFID "a minor miracle, with all sorts of good uses," State Senator Joe Simitian (who first proposed the measure) said that "we shouldn't condone forced 'tagging' of humans. It's the ultimate invasion of privacy." Nine senators apparently disagreed, however, including Bob Margett who called the measure a "solution looking for a problem." That opinion seems to have been unable to stop the tide of anti-RFID sentiment, however, and the bill is now just one signature away from becoming law.[Via Slashdot]
