logo
Brief Publisher Logo
FACT BRIEF

Did a Wisconsin company implant microchips in its employees?

By Tom Kertscher
View this fact brief on Wisconsin Watch
Copy link
email
Copy featured image
email
YES

News organizations reported in July 2017 that Three Square Market, a retail technology company in River Falls, Wisconsin, microchipped its employees.

A reference to the chipping was made in an Aug. 26, 2023, social media post by a user with 22,000 followers.

Fifty of the 80 employees at Three Square Market, a provider of self-service breakroom vending machines, voluntarily agreed to be “chipped,” the reports said.

A microchip the size of a grain of rice was inserted in the hand. It allowed employees to get door access to enter the building, sign into their computer and pay for snacks by waving at a sensor.

In December 2022, Three Square Market was acquired for $41 million by Cantaloupe, a Pennsylvania digital payments and software company.

More than 50,000 people have chosen to receive this type of chipping, according to Zhanna Malekos Smith, a systems engineering professor at the U.S. Military Academy.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
CNBC Why most of Three Square Market's employees jumped at the chance to wear a microchip
New York Times Microchip Implants for Employees? One Company Says Yes
BBC Wisconsin company Three Square Market to microchip employees
Instagram Aug. 26, 2023 Instagram post
Business Wire Cantaloupe Acquires Three Square Market (32M)
The Hill Human microchip implants take center stage
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Wisconsin Watch
Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
FACT BRIEF BY
Brief Publisher Logo
Latest fact briefs from Wisconsin Watch
facebook
twitter
email
email
About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.