Hurricane-prone states The day in pictures Get the USA TODAY app Start the day smarter ☀️ U.S. Elections Sports Entertainment Life Money Tech Travel Opinion ONLY AT USA TODAY: Newsletters For Subscribers From the Archives Crossword eNewspaper Magazines Investigations Podcasts Video Humankind Just Curious Best-selling Booklist 24/7 Live Stream Legals OUR PORTFOLIO: 10Best USAT Wine Club Online Sports Betting Online Casino Reviewed Homefront Blueprint Southern Kitchen Best Auto Insurance Best Pet Insurance Best Travel Insurance Best Credit Cards Best CD Rates Best Personal Loans Home Internet FACT CHECK fact-checking Add Topic # Fact check: False claim that Microsoft is developing a microchip for vaccine information ![\\"Portrait](\\"/gcdn/presto/2022/04/01/USAT/9eb415b7-5996-4f3b-ab75-df11abed3cc1-MicrosoftTeams- image.png?crop=767,767,x0,y128&width=48&height=48&format=pjpg&auto=webp\\") Chiara Vercellone USA TODAY ![\\"\\"](\\"/gcdn/-mm-/b2b05a4ab25f4fca0316459e1c7404c537a89702/c=0-0-1365-768/local/-/media/2021/12/23/USATODAY/usatsports/imageForEntry17-Ddg.jpg?width=660&height=371&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp\\"/) PlayPause Sound OnSound Off 0:00 2:05 AD SKIP ClosedCaptionOpen ShareEnter Full ScreenExit Full Screen ## The claim: Microsoft developing microchip to hold vaccination status, trials start in July A new theory has gained traction among social media users who believe Microsoft is developing a new way to track people\'s vaccination status. \"Human trials will start this July on a micro-chip implant smaller than a pin-head that will hold your booster status and other information to enable a fast and easy way to access things like shops and events,\" reads a screenshot of a tweet posted on Facebook on Jan. 16 and shared almost 500 times. \"All powered by Microsoft technology.\" This is not the first time microchip claims about Microsoft and its founder, Bill Gates, have surfaced online. In June 2020, USA TODAY debunked false claims that Gates was planning to implant microchips in people through the COVID-19 vaccines, which hadn\'t sought authorization for use at the time. Special access for subscribers!****Click here to sign up for our fact-check text chat Much like those, this claim has no basis in fact. The tweet being shared online originated in a parody account, and a spokesperson for Microsoft told USA TODAY the company is not working on developing such a microchip or human trials of it. USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook user who posted the image for comment. ## Tweet posted from parody account The original tweet, which has now been retweeted over 1,000 times, was posted Jan. 16 from a parody account that mocks Matt Hancock, a member of the U.K. Parliament, according to the Twitter bio of the poster. When asked about the accuracy of the claims, Microsoft spokesperson Carley Petersen told USA TODAY in an email Microsoft \"is not conducting human trials of micro-chip implants.\" A search of the company\'s innovative news page and press releases showed no evidence the company is developing a microchip that could store information about vaccination and booster status. Fact check: Protest in Netherlands in response to gas extractions, not COVID-19 regulations A similar concept exists, however. A rice-sized microchip developed by a Swedish tech startup could be repurposed to store information about people\'s COVID-19 vaccination records, The Orlando Sentinel reported in December 2021. Fox 45 News reported the implant can be embedded under a person\'s arm or between the thumb and index finger, and the procedure – which would be reversible – could cost as little as $100. ## Our rating: False Based on our research we rate FALSE the claim that Microsoft is developing a microchip to hold vaccination status information, for which trials start in July. The claim originated with a parody Twitter account. A company spokesperson told USA TODAY that Microsoft is not carrying out any human trials for the development of a microchip. ## Our fact-check sources: * USA TODAY, June 12, 2020, Fact check: Bill Gates is not planning to microchip the world through COVID-19 vaccine * @HattMancockMP, Jan. 16, tweet * Suffolk Infolink, accessed Jan. 21, Matthew Hancock: Member of Parliament (West Suffolk) Conservative * @HattMancockMP, accessed Jan. 21, Twitter profile * Carley Petersen, Jan. 20, Email exchange with USA TODAY * Microsoft, accessed Jan. 21, Innovation Stories * Microsoft, accessed Jan. 21, Press Releases * The Orlando Sentinel, Dec. 21, 2021, Microchip implanted in your skin could be your COVID vaccine passport * Fox 45 News, Dec. 20, 2021, Implanted microchip could be used to verify COVID-19 vax status Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook. 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Microsoft developing microchip to hold vaccination status trials in July