Some Swedes are reportedly voluntarily embedding their vaccine passport information in microchips that have been inserted under their skin.
This comes amid the enactment of new rules in Sweden requiring people “to show proof of double-vaccination status” when attending large events.
“From Wednesday, a valid Covid-19 vaccine pass will be required at indoor public events and public gatherings of over 100 people that don’t have any other infection control measures in place, such as social distancing or a limit on the maximum number of people allowed per group,” according to The Local.
Swedes who’ve been vaccinated can easily obtain their pass by logging into a government website with the required identification information and then downplaying the pass onto their phone.
Another option is to download the pass onto a chip and then have that chip embedded under their skin. It may sound strange to Americans, but the Swedes have a love affair with microchips going back several years.
“In Sweden, a country rich with technological advancement, thousands have had microchips inserted into their hands,” NPR reported in 2018. “The chips are designed to speed up users’ daily routines and make their lives more convenient — accessing their homes, offices and gyms is as easy as swiping their hands against digital readers. They also can be used to store emergency contact details, social media profiles or e-tickets for events and rail journeys within Sweden.”
They do have a valid point about microchipping not being mandatory. However, critics also have a valid point in their concern about microchipping one day becoming mandatory just like vaccines and booster shots have in some countries.
Concerns about mandatory microchipping are so severe in the U.S. that some states have instituted bans on it.
This past summer, Indiana became the 11th state to issue such a ban by approving a law “to prohibit employers from requiring job seekers or employees to have devices such as microchips or radio frequency identification device (RFID) tags implanted into their bodies as a condition of employment,” as reported by the Society for Human Resource Management.
“Can it track your location? Can it track what kind of motion you make to monitor productivity? What about collecting medical information in violation of the ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act]? What about when someone leaves? Who does the device belong to? How would an extraction procedure be enforced?” Indiana attorney Craig Wiley said to SHRM, listing some of the privacy concerns that have arisen.