On March 11, 2026, Washington state Governor Bob Ferguson signed a law prohibiting employers from requiring employees to have tracking chips implanted beneath their skin as condition of employment. Washington now joins Arkansas, California, Missouri and ten other states which have passed similar laws, all addressing advances in workplace surveillance technology.
To protect “individual liberty and bodily autonomy,” HB 2303 targets devices that are implanted beneath the skin which are linked to a unique identification number, store personal information and are capable of being read by external scanners. In the workplace, these devices are marketed as a way to streamline the workplace process for employees. With the device, employees would be able to lock and unlock doors in the workplace, log into their work computer or make payments—all with a simple scan of an implanted microchip. The new Washington law prohibits employers from requiring, coercing or even requesting employees have a microchip implanted for any reason. The law, however, does not totally ban employee microchipping; an employee can voluntarily choose to have a device implanted on their own initiative. The bill only applies to devices implanted under the skin, leaving latitude for other means of workplace surveillance.
Washington State Representative Brianna Thomas spearheaded the bill, arguing that it was a necessary preventative measure to ensure that workers are not being pressured into invasive tracking...
A US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit panel heard oral argument on March 18, 2026 in an appeal of a 2025 District of New Jersey decision upholding a jury verdict in favor of qui tam relators,...