Workers Get Implanted Chips for Access

(3 Apr 2017) An ultra-trendy co-working space in central Stockholm is offering microchip implants to its 2,000 members, in order to help them open doors or operate office equipment. The implants have become so popular, the workspace stages regular parties where attendees can get "chipped." It may not look like it, but many of the workers here at Stockholm's ultra-trendy 'Epicenter' co-working space are cyborgs. That's to say they have tiny microchips embedded in their hands. They help with simple daily tasks like opening locked doors or operating office printers. Epicenter, which describes itself as a digital innovation house, began offering free microchip implants to its members back in January 2015. Now, around 150 have them. That includes co-founder and CEO Patrick Mesterton, who's able to open many of Epicenter's locked doors with just a quick wave of his left hand. The central Stockholm workplace is home to over 100 companies and about 2,000 workers. They claim to be the first place in Sweden to use implants on a large-scale. The small implants use NFC (Near Field Communication) technology, the same tech used in contactless credit cards or mobile payments. When activated by a reader over a few centimetres, a small amount of data can flow between the two devices via electromagnetic waves. The implants are "passive" devices, meaning they contain information that other devices can read, but can't read information themselves. But experts warn there are security and privacy issues to consider. Ben Libberton, a micro biologist at Stockholm's Karolinska Institute, says hackers could conceivably gain huge swathes of information from embedded microchips - from a person's whereabouts to how frequently they go to the toilet The implants have become so popular at Epicenter they stage monthly events where attendees have the option of getting "chipped" for free. That means a visit for self-described "body hacker" Jowan Osterlund from Biohax Sweden. While many stay clear of Osterlund's implants, some are keen to try it for themselves and join Epicenter's growing group of cyborgs. The implants are injected using pre-loaded syringes into the fleshy area of the hand, just next to the thumb. More often than not, there are no screams and barely a drop of blood made by the quick injection. Twenty-five-year-old Sandra Haglof works for Stockholm-based events company Eventomatic. Having had three piercings before, her left hand barely shakes as Osterlund injects the small chip. And, she figures the microchip will help her in terms of access to various venues and other activities. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/31678016b0f5f43297fb1354a2388ccb Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork