Soon, Americans and other people around the world will no longer have to worry about losing their identification cards. Instead, they might need to be concerned about their governments having another way to keep track of them. Digital identification could just be the avenue through which governments will introduce a subtler form of tyranny.
The United States and other countries are moving towards the creation and implementation of digital IDs that would replace traditional methods of confirming one’s identity. In fact, they have already been rolled out in limited locations around the globe.
Digital ID Is Coming to Maryland
Last year, Google began beta testing digital identification in Maryland. It allows users to add state-issued IDs like drivers’ licenses to the “wallet” feature on their mobile phones and other devices. This can be used to verify age when buying liquor or other age-restricted merchandise. Currently, the feature is available only on Apple iPhones, but will soon be compatible with Android operating systems.
The virtual driver’s license or state ID can also be used to get through TSA checkpoints when traveling. One only needs to tap their phone to a sensor, allow the agent to review, and then fly the friendly skies. Google’s Wallet app encrypts the identification so that only the appropriate user can access and use it.
The process for adding one’s identification seems quite simple. NFC World explained:
“Google has begun beta testing support for digital IDs and driving licences in the state, enabling residents with a compatible smartphone who sign up to the testing programme to add their digital credentials to Wallet by taking a photo of the front and back of their physical document and a short video of themselves which is then sent to issuing authorities for verification.”
Digital ID In Other Countries
(Photo by George Frey/Getty Images)
Digital identification is becoming popular in other countries across Asia and Europe. The World Bank Group’s International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) is reportedly giving Indonesia $250 million in funding to “strengthen the country’s civil registration and increase the use of biometric digital identification for accessing public and private sector services,” according to Biometric Update.
The purpose of this initiative is to “digitize identity” to address geographical inequality and solve the gender divide in “financial inclusion.” Another objective is to boost the digital economy by providing a wider array of services that would span everything from birth registrations to completely replacing the country’s identification system with an electronic system.
A United Kingdom retail chain is adopting a controversial facial recognition system as part of the effort to prevent theft. However, the method is also being floated as another means of digitally identifying individuals. The Guardian reported that a privacy group called Big Brother Watch filed a complaint against Southern Co-operative for using surveillance cameras in its stores to create “a biometric profile of every visitor to stores.”
The system works by storing images of those who have been “identified and evidenced” as an offender. This includes individuals who have been banned from the store. It would recognize when these people return to the store ostensibly to prevent further theft.
“The Southern Co-op’s use of live facial recognition surveillance is Orwellian in the extreme, highly likely to be unlawful, and must be immediately stopped by the information commissioner,” said Silkie Carlo, Big Brother Watch’s director.
Companies are also experimenting with facial recognition to ascertain a person’s age when they are buying alcohol. It is not a stretch to imagine that these new developments could easily lead to a world in which one does not need to carry identification in their wallets or even in their phones because their faces will be their proof of identity.
In such an environment, the government would find it much easier to keep track of its subjects while cataloging each individual in a database. Moreover, if the corporate world embraces this technological trend, it would give them tremendous power over who is allowed to buy and sell. One does not need to believe in the Mark of the Beast to see how this could make life easier for those world leaders who are drawn by the temptations of tyranny.
Do you have an opinion about this article? We’d love to hear it! If you send your comments to [email protected], we might even publish your edited remarks in our new feature, LN Readers Speak Out. Remember to include the URL of the article along with your name, city, and state.
Please respect our republishing guidelines. Republication permission does not equal site endorsement. Click here.