Sweden again. Implant microchips in your hand, a solution during a pandemic?

Those behind the creation of the microchip, which is the size of a grain of rice and implanted with a syringe, are taking steps to access other parts of Europe. Eric Larsen, who heads the subsidiary of the Swedish company Biohax in Italy, said he is awaiting approval from medical centers and the Italian Ministry of Health for Italy. Eric Larsen also said that, according to estimates, the chip will be implanted in some 2,500 people in the first 6-8 months, in Milan and Rome.

Even without the approval of the Italian Ministry of Health, Biohax Italia has already implanted these microchips in several hundred people, with the help of a medical center. “It is a step forward for the future … It is extremely futuristic, but it is already happening.” This technology was born to help us, to give us little superpowers, “said Eric Larsen for Euronews.

But COVID-19 could make people more concerned about their concerns due to public concern about governments’ efforts to introduce contagion route tracking applications during the pandemic, Eric Larsen said. “We see that many in Italy are not happy to add a GPS or something else that can track their movements.” This could be a danger for us, “said the manager of Biohax Italia and added:” We do not follow the movements, we do not have GPS in the microchip, but I think that many do not know it. “

Swedish IT solutions architect Martin Lewin uses the two implanted microchips in his own hand for actions like logging into his personal computer, setting the alarm for the office where he works, and launching his LinkedIn profile. But the turning point in this technology will be where Martin Lewin will use the two microchips as an alternative to paying by cash or card. “It is nothing more than the need to eliminate the need to have a wallet, eliminate key chains, eliminate all these separate” chips “that do nothing but create risks, because if you lose them, you lose identity,” said the former tattoo artist from body piercing Jowan Österlund, who is currently the founder of the Swedish company Biohax International. “If you lose the keys, you don’t go into your own house. If someone else finds them, then logically they can take your house, as is done in some countries,” said Jowan Österlund. In Sweden, microchips can be used as a subway or train ticket, but Martin Lewin hopes that payments will be made quickly through them. “It just came to our attention then. I can’t wait to create an ecosystem where the chip can offer all kinds of access, where your identity can be carried with you in such a simple way,” Martin Lewin told Euronews. But it seems that the technology has not picked up the momentum that the Swedish IT specialist expected. “It just came to our attention then. I’ve already had the chip implanted for three years and it seems like another year must pass before the chip works in the payment area,” says Martin Lewin.

Meanwhile in Italy, according to Eric Larsen, Biohax is negotiating with Vodafone and Paypal to make microchip payments possible. A UK company, BioTeq, is also taking steps to facilitate microchip payments. Steven Northam, director of BioTeq, said “this is the time for mass adoption of microchips,” arguing that his company receives daily questions about paying for microchips.

Again, it appears that the technology has not moved as fast as some expected. Swedish rail operator SJ has said it will stop experimenting with the use of passenger microchip scanning systems and give up traditional tickets, as “a very small increase” in the total number of passengers with microchips implanted in the last two years. currently only 3,000. An SJ spokesman said the rail operator will not give up on the new technology, but “will go in another direction for now.”

Microchips use near field communications (NFC) and radio frequency identification (RFID) to communicate with a system. NFC and RFID are radio waves that provide close-range communications. “It is basically the same technology that we have on the phone or on our credit card,” said Rob van Eijk, director general for Europe of the NGO’s Future of Privacy Forum. Microchips have the same elements of personal data protection, including the possibility of someone receiving the signal. “It is similar to listening to a directional microphone and you can also select the RFID signal,” says Rob van Eijk, who previously worked for the Dutch Data Protection Authority. Theoretically, the microchip “can be used in a way that makes you stand out from the crowd, like an individual in the middle of a group, if you use a biochip and everyone else doesn’t,” added Rob van Eijk. In future versions, the microchips could also be linked to more complex aspects of personal data, such as monitoring your health and other personal information, “said Eijk.

“The only information he has on the implanted microchips is Hollywood pop culture, and when it comes to Hollywood pop culture, Arnold Schwarzenegger pulls out a giant GPS from his nose, or the KGB polonium, or other tracking device. That’s why people are scared, “said Jowan Österlund, who insists that many of his clients implanted microchips just to access their LinkedIn account and share their profile faster. Furthermore, they are surprised by the extremely low price of the microchip, about 150 euros.