Lawmaker Wants to Prohibit Microchipping of Humans

Forget about the chip on your shoulder — it's the chip in your shoulder one lawmaker is worried about.

State Sen. Becky Harr, a Nevada Republican from Las Vegas, is introducing legislation to ban the forced microchipping of humans.

She told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that companies in Belgium and Sweden already outfit their employees with chips so they can open doors, use copy machines and even pay for lunch.

But privacy and ethical concerns have been raised by the practice, and Harr also wonders whether the chips could be used by stalkers and for other nefarious purposes.

"I was surprised with the merit that I believe the issue warrants," Harris advised the Nevada Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday.

Her legislation — Senate Bill 109 — would make it a Class C felony to force somebody to be "chipped" the way a family pet is.

Some lawmakers argue that chips in humans do have some good uses — such as being able to locate dementia victims who wander off or finding air-crash survivors.

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