SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — A proposal in the Illinois statehouse would prevent employers from requiring any of their employees to get a microchip implanted.
Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) has filed a bill that prevent Illinoisans from being microchipped without their consent. The law protects all Illinoisans from being required, coerced, or compelled to undergo the implanting of an identification chip under their skin by anyone, but has special protections for employees.
The senator said rules are needed to safeguard human rights and ethical standards in the face of technological innovation.
“As technology advances, it is crucial that we protect the rights and privacy of employees,” Stadelman said. “Microchipping individuals without their consent is a clear violation of their autonomy.”
Any company found to violate the law would be subject to civil penalties, with a maximum initial penalty of $10,000 and up to an additional $1,000 for each day where the violation isn’t corrected.
In 2017, the technology company Three Square Market was the first U.S. company to microchip its employees. The company, which offers mini convenience stores in company break rooms, put RFID chips in 50 volunteer employees in Wisconsin to make tasks like logging into computers and opening doors keyless and easy.
"We see chip technology as the next evolution in payment systems, much like micro markets have steadily replaced vending machines," Third Square Market CEO Todd Westby said in an archived news release. "As a leader in micro market technology, it is important that 32M continues leading the way with advancements such as chip implants."
The bill awaits a hearing in the Senate Subcommittee on Privacy.
