Thousands of Australian pets may soon have ‘useless’ microchips. It’s a symptom of a bigger problem

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Late last year, rumours swirled online that HomeSafeID, a private Australian pet microchip registry, had stopped operating.

On Feburary 5 2025, a notice appeared on the HomeSafeID website, ostensibly from the site’s administrator. It states the website “is likely to go offline” soon due to unpaid bills. This means the database of information stored on HomeSafeID would also go offline.