There’s an article this morning in The Toronto Star about a company in the US offering employees an opportunity to get microchipped. I’m not even making this up.

Three Square Market — a developer of software used in vending machines — is offering all of its employees the option to get a microchip implanted between the thumb and forefinger. It’s quick, painless and the company will even pick up the $300 fee. And don’t worry-there’s no GPS tracking capability … yet.

Back before I stepped out of the work-a-day world, I was in a job which required that I be reachable anytime in the unlikely event that I be needed in an emergency. No problem, I carried a smartphone. Boss could text if she needed me and I’d respond. But even in jobs which require contact with employees outside of regular working hours, there still needs to be some separation from The Mothership. There is a line, and these folks in Wisconsin have found it and happily skipped across.

According to the article the company is expecting 50 of its employees to sign up and have a microchip implanted into their hands. What’s wrong with these people? The company claims the chips have no GPS capability. Well if they say so it must be true, right? I’m sure this company only has the well-being, and of course the privacy, of its employees in mind, right?

Some might say you can’t stand in the way of progress. This kind of technology is harmless. It’s the way of the future. For my part I refuse to be a barcode, or as Patrick McGoohan used to say, “I am not a number. I am a free man!”