Tag: digital id

U.S. Department of Commerce Has Plan Already in Place to Digitize the Identities of all Americans Receiving ‘Public Benefits’

Federal ‘Guidelines’ have already been secretly adopted for a Digital ID program that will start off as ‘voluntary’ but only the most gullible Americans would believe that’s anything but temporary.

In the globalist drive toward the creation of a national digital ID for all Americans is well under way, and the first group of citizens to be coerced into accepting a digital ID will be those receiving public benefits of one type or another.

Government healthcare benefits, Veterans’ benefits, Social Security benefits, and of course low-income welfare programs of every type will all be fair game for digital IDs, and the U.S. government is already far down the road to adopting a strategy of digitizing all government-dependent citizens.

It all begins with a little-known program within the U.S. Department of Commerce.

I bet you didn’t know that the federal Commerce Department has a sub-agency called the National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST for short, and that NIST has already adopted a set of “digital identity guidelines.”

These guidelines are ostensibly designed “to better support public-benefits programs.” Biometric Update reports that these programs assist beneficiaries with essential needs such as food, housing, and medical expenses, and then goes on to explain NIST’s role in digitizing all these government beneficiaries.

As is almost always the case, the federal agency has partners in the private sector to help it fulfill its mission of bringing in the technocratic/biometric beast system designed to replace people’s free will with government mandating every facet of their lives.

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New York Rolls Out Digital IDs Following New Online Digital ID Law

It’s surely just a coincidence that New York has passed its online digital ID law, just as the state has joined the ranks of states adopting mobile ID technology, enabling residents to convert their traditional driver’s licenses or non-driver IDs into digital formats.

As of this week, New Yorkers can download the New Longyear Mobile ID app from both the Apple App Store and Google Play. This digital version allows users to verify their identity at airports and other locations requiring ID. To set up their mobile ID, users must initially scan both sides of their existing physical ID card using their smartphone.

The launch was unveiled at a media event at LaGuardia Airport, where Robert Duffy, the federal security director for the Transportation Security Administration, and other officials were present. During the briefing, it was stated that the introduction of mobile IDs is a significant step towards modernizing identity security and airport screening processes. Officials highlighted the optional nature of the digital IDs, noting they offer greater convenience without being mandatory.

Currently, there is no mandatory requirement for businesses or law enforcement to accept mobile IDs, and acceptance is entirely voluntary. Businesses, including bars, may begin accepting mobile IDs immediately, provided they install a state-sanctioned verifier application.

According to a press release from Governor Kathy Hochul’s office, the New York Mobile ID app is operational in nearly 30 airports nationwide, including all terminals at LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports. New York is now among a growing list of states such as Arizona, Colorado, and Utah that have embraced mobile driver’s licenses.

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Gates Foundation Awards $4M Grant To Fund Digital ID Initiative

The Gates Foundation continues to bankroll various initiatives around the world aimed at introducing digital ID and payments by the end of this decade.

The scheme is known as the digital public infrastructure (DPI), and those pushing it include private or informal groups like the said foundation and the World Economic Forum (WEF), but also the US, the EU, and the UN.

And now, the UK-based AI and data science research group Alan Turing Institute has become the recipient of a renewed grant, this time amounting to $4 million, given by the Gates Foundation.

This has been announced as initial funding for the Institute’s initiative to ensure “responsible” implementation of ID services.

The Turing Institute is presenting its work that will be financed by the grant over the next three years as a multi-disciplinary project focused on positive issues, such as ensuring that launching DPI elements (like digital ID) is done with privacy and security concerns properly addressed.

But – given the past and multi-year activities of the Gates Foundation, nobody should be blamed for interpreting this as an attempt to actually whitewash these key issues – namely privacy and security – that opponents of centralizing people’s identities through digital ID schemes consistently warn about.

In announcing the renewed grant, the Turing Institute made it clear that it considers implementing “ID services” a positive direction, which according to the organization improves anything from inclusion, access to services and to human rights.

But apparently, some “tweaking” around privacy and security (or at least “enhancing” the perception of how they are handled in digital ID programs) – is needed. Hence, perhaps, the new initiative.

“The project aims to enhance the privacy and security of national digital identity systems, with the ultimate goal to maximize the value to beneficiaries, whilst limiting known and unknown risks to these constituents and maintaining the integrity of the overall system,” the Institute said.

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New York’s “SAFE” Digital ID Act For Kids Threatens Online Free Speech and Privacy

Legislators in the state of New York are pushing two new bills to regulate the internet, specifically as it pertains to the way minors use social media – Assembly Bill A8148A and Senate Bill S7694A.

If it succeeds, the law would be the first of its kind in the US, and likely represent a blueprint for other states.

But both acts, dubbed Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids, have drawn criticism for bringing up constitutional issues tied to First Amendment rights.

Meanwhile, Governor Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers are said to be close on agreeing on the text of the bills, which are presented as designed to prohibit tech platforms from providing addictive feeds to minors (replacing them with content shown in chronological order), and monetizing their data, among other things.

But how would these platforms ascertain if somebody’s a minor? By requiring that their parents go through the digital ID age verification before they can provide consent on behalf of their children to use a particular social network in a particular way.

And this is where the legislative intent goes against the First Amendment, critics say, as having all online activity tied to a government-issued ID chills free speech and opens data privacy issues.

Somewhat ironically, given their open disregard of the First Amendment in other scenarios, those critics include some of the biggest tech companies.

Constitution and freedom of expression aside – their bottom lines would suffer if the bills pass, and so they find themselves as (no doubt, for both parties) uneasy bedfellows with those who consistently campaign against age verification, manipulated feeds, and data harvesting.

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Mastercard’s Controversial Digital ID Rollout in Africa

One wouldn’t have pegged Mastercard for that corporation that is “driving sustainable social impact” and caring about remote communities around the world struggling to meet basic needs.

Nevertheless, here we are – or at least that’s how the global payment services behemoth advertises its push to proliferate the use of a scheme called Community Pass.

The purpose of Community Pass is to enable a  digital ID and wallet that’s contained in a “smart card.” Launched four years ago, the program – which Mastercard says, in addition to being based on digital ID, is interoperable, and works offline – targets “underserved communities” and currently has 3.5 million users, with plans of growing that number to 30 million by 2027.

According to a map on Mastercard’s site, this program is now being either piloted or has been rolled out in India, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, and Mauritania, while the latest announcement is the partnership with the African Development Bank Group in an initiative dubbed, Mobilizing Access to the Digital Economy (MADE).

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Digital IDs: The system of surveillance using biometrics does not require a physical ID card

When Harvey Eugene Murphy Jr. visited his home state of Texas to get his driving licence renewed, he never imagined the trip would result in him being wrongfully arrested and assaulted in jail.

Yet that is precisely what happened to the 61-year-old grandfather thanks to Houston Police’s reliance on facial recognition technology.

Murphy was arrested in relation to the armed robbery of a Sunglass Hut store in Houston. But while the real thieves were making off with thousands of dollars in cash and merchandise, Murphy was back home in California, nowhere near the scene. By the time the Harris County District Attorney’s office in Texas figured that out, it was already too late – three men had sexually assaulted Murphy in a bathroom in jail, leaving him with permanent injuries.

“Mr Murphy’s story is troubling for every citizen in this country,” said Daniel Dutko, a lawyer representing Murphy. “Any person could be improperly charged with a crime based on error-prone facial recognition software, just as he was.”

If you think that such things could never happen in the UK, think again. Some British police forces already use facial recognition tech. London’s Met Police use it on the streets routinely. It was also used last year to watch crowds at the King’s Coronation, at an Arsenal v Tottenham match, at a Beyonce gig, and even on F1 Grand Prix day at Silverstone.

According to civil liberties group Big Brother Watch, since the Met Police started using facial recognition tech, 85% of all matches identified by the system were wrong. The figure for South Wales police is even worse: 90% of matches were incorrect. “We’ve [personally] witnessed people being wrongly stopped by the police because facial recognition misidentified them,” the group said in a report.

Despite these disastrous figures, policing minister Chris Phelps wrote to police chiefs last October urging them to “double the number of [facial recognition] searches by May 2024, so they exceed 200,000 across England and Wales.”

“This dangerously authoritarian technology has the potential to turn populations into walking ID cards in a constant police lineup,” said Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch.

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New X Policy Forces Earners To Verify Their Government ID With Israeli Verification Company

X, formerly Twitter, is now mandating the use of a government ID-based account verification system for users that earn revenue on the platform – either for advertising or for paid subscriptions.

To implement this system, X has partnered with Au10tix, an Israeli company known for its identity verification solutions. Users who opt to receive payouts on the platform will have to undergo a verification process with the company.

This initiative aims to curb impersonation, fraud, and improve user support, yet it also raises profound questions about privacy and free speech, as X markets itself as a free speech platform, and free speech and anonymity often go hand-in-hand. This is especially true in countries where their speech can get citizens jailed or worse.

“We’re making changes to our Creator Subscriptions and Ads Revenue Share programs to further promote authenticity and fight fraud on the platform. Starting today, all new creators must verify their ID to receive payouts. All existing creators must do so by July 1, 2024,” the update to X’s verification page now reads.

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UNDP: Why Legal Identity Is Crucial To Tackling The Climate And Energy Crisis

In an era where legal identity is the gateway to essential services, 850 million people worldwide lack the means to establish theirs. This global identity gap, however, finds a potential bridge in the embrace of digitalization, with a major side benefit, a blog post by UNDP claims.

Digital legal identity stands as a cornerstone of digital public infrastructure, offering a pathway to inclusion and efficiency through interoperability among diverse systems.

Foundational registries like civil and national ID databases provide data for evidence-based policymaking. Yet, the integrity of this data relies on protection measures for privacy and security.

UNDP authors say sectors such as environment, energy, and social security are poised to benefit from this data. It supports risk management strategies in the face of disasters and the climate crisis, improving access to information for citizens regarding disaster and emergency response.

Amidst climate-induced disasters, targeted interventions informed by data offer multiple benefits, including predictive capabilities, preparedness efforts, and streamline response mechanisms to mitigate uncertainties. Additionally, leveraging data contributes to emission reduction initiatives, aiding in climate mitigation endeavors.

During disasters, digital identity plays a crucial role in tracking impacts, facilitating relief efforts, and optimizing energy responses. It aims to aid in allocating energy resources efficiently, maintaining essential services, and supporting emergency response teams. Additionally, it helps identify displaced populations, prioritizing assistance to vulnerable individuals and coordinating efforts across different contexts.

According to the blog, five benefits underscore the indispensability of data derived from Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) and national ID systems in confronting the climate and energy crisis.

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Belgium and Hungary Launch Controversial Digital IDs, Vaccine Passport, Ahead of EU Regulations

Belgium and Hungary are leading the way in launching digital ID wallets ahead of EU’s eIDAS (“electronic identification and trust services”) 2.0 regulation and EUDI Wallet coming into force later this month.

In Belgium, the MyGov.be app, covering all of the country’s federal public services, was launched on Tuesday, with the government promoting the digital identity as “simplifying” the use of its services, and “making life easier.”

In other words, the authorities there are playing the convenience card – while downplaying the risks that come with this type of centralization of people’s identities.

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Summer Olympics in Paris to construct digital tracking system, requiring QR Codes to attend certain events

The 2024 Summer Olympics open July 26 in Paris, France, and it will be different from any other Olympic Games.

Spectators traveling to the City of Love will have their movement tracked and restricted through the use of digital QR codes.

The city’s Olympics website states:

“The Paris 2024 Olympic Games are fast approaching, and with them come their share of security measures. These include the introduction of restricted areas accessible only on presentation of a QR code.”

The website goes on to explain that:

“The JO 2024 QR code is a unique QR code that gives access to certain restricted areas set up in Paris during the Olympic Games. These areas include competition venues, Olympic villages and fan zones.

“The QR code contains information about the holder, such as surname, first name and ticket number. This information is used to verify the person’s identity and ensure that they are authorized to enter the restricted area.”

It further explains:

“The QR code will be required to enter the security perimeters set up around the Olympic venues. These perimeters will be delimited by barriers and checkpoints. The exact zones concerned will be announced by the authorities at a later date.”

This is the same system that’s being established on a mostly voluntary basis at large-venue events here in the United States, including several Major League baseball stadiums and concert halls. U.S. airports are also implementing this system. But this is the first major event I can recall, post-Covid, where entry will be based on a mandatory QR code and certain events will be placed behind digital gates.

This is a big deal. If it’s successful, you will see other venues also mandating what amounts to a digital ID system, locking non-digitized humans out of various places. Without your digital ID, you won’t be allowed through the gates.

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