(11 Jun 2017) LEADIN:??Sweden's cyborgs are on the move. The country's state-owned rail operator is now allowing passengers to use microchip implants rather than conventional tickets.??SJ claims it will make train journeys more convenient, but experts warn there are privacy and data protection issues to consider.??STORYLINE:
All aboard at Malmo central station.
State-owned Swedish rail operator SJ says around 130,000 people use its train services every day.
For most, that means purchasing traditional paper tickets or buying a digital one online.
But now there's no need to rustle through bags or email inboxes in search of tickets.
SJ says it will now allow passengers to use microchip implants rather than conventional tickets.
That means all SJ employee Stephan Ray needs to travel is his left hand ... and the small NFC (Near Field Communication) microchip implanted in it. But why?
"Simply because we can and also because our corporate customers (were) asking for it," says Ray.
"And we want to contribute to make their digital experience better and also their travel experience.
"So, this will most likely make their train journey more convenient."
SJ claims to be the first travel company in the world to enable passengers to use microchip implants to validate their tickets.
It's currently being trialed just among 'SJ Prio' members.
The small implants use NFC (Near Field Communication) technology, the same tech used in contactless credit cards or mobile payments.
When activated by a reader over a few centimetres, a small amount of data flows between the two devices via electromagnetic waves.
It's no huge leap. SJ train conductors already use NFC-enabled smartphones to scan ticket barcodes and validate them.
Rather than continually uploading tickets into their hand, "chipped" passengers like Ray use SJ's smartphone app to programme their unique customer number onto their implant.
That means when conductors scan the implants, it recognises the customer number and accesses ticket information online.
"This is a new technology, of course, we are seeing the baby steps in this area, but everything that makes our lives easier, I think, is interesting," says Ray.
"And being able to travel on the train without using a ticket is a new way and I think that attracts new customers to SJ."
Biohacking, including implanting microchips under the skin, is becoming increasingly popular in Sweden.
Epicenter, a trendy co-working space in Stockholm, claims to have over 150 members that use microchip implants to open doors and operate office equipment.
"It's going fast right now and I think we need to be there because this is a new technology and it doesn't make such a big difference right now, but we have to try the technology and learn from it to find this new areas we can use it," says Lina Edstrom from SJ.
"It's going to be interesting to have a look in the future field, but I think maybe you can pay your ticket and you can have everything on the ticket in your hand.
"Maybe it's not going to be in your hand, maybe it's a watch or a ring or something. So it might be somewhere else."
But experts warn there are security and privacy issues to consider. If chips generate data, where will that go and who will be able to access it?
"It's relatively uncertain how they will be used or what kind of information will be transferred from these chips and where it will be going," says Ben Libberton, a microbiologist at Stockholm's Karolinska Institute.
Ray claims because the microchips only store customer numbers, there's little data to access.
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