Myths and Beliefs about Microchip-Implants in Russia, Ukraine and Slovenia

Abstract

The article presents the main results of an international research project on studying the attitudes of the population to new electronic devices — passive RFID microchips (Radio Frequency IDentification, radio frequency identification) implanted into the human body to implement certain functionality. The study examined the level of awareness of RFID microchips, ideas about their potential benefits and associated threats, and the main myths associated with their implementation, including in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data was collected through mass population surveys on a quota sample in three EU countries, Russia and Ukraine. The text compares representations of RFID microchips of residents of three countries — Russia, Ukraine, and Slovenia. It is shown that the awareness of RFID technology is relatively low in all countries, even though in Slovenia, a share of the population who knows about the technology is larger than in Russia and Ukraine. Microchip implants are strongly associated with tracking and control tools. Residents of all three countries believe that tracking digital traces is the least attractive option for using implant microchips in the context of the pandemic, while the identification of vaccinated, recovered, and sick people is assessed positively.

Acknowledgements. The article was prepared within the framework of the HSE University Basic Research Program. We express our deep gratitude to our colleagues from “Aventica” Kirill Nepomnyashchii and Laura Bedredinova for the help with data collection in Russia.