A Threat To Privacy And Freedom: Gov’ts Are Not Using Biometrics To ‘Increase Security’
As someone who speaks and teaches Bible prophecy, I find questions about Revelation 13 and the Mark of the Beast somewhat common. I explain that the Mark of the Beast will not happen until the Tribulation time, and believers today will not be here to experience that system of control. However, the Antichrist will not create or establish the systems used to control humanity in the last days. Everything he will need to rule the world with technology will be in place before he arrives on the world stage. With that said, believers today, although they won’t be faced with taking the Mark of the Beast, may experience some of the pains involved in setting up that Antichrist system. For example, the world is moving quickly into the mandatory Biometric National ID stage.
Mandatory nationwide identification systems have been implemented in several countries, including Argentina, Belgium, Colombia, Germany, Italy, Peru, and Spain. In these countries, individuals are assigned an ID number. Large amounts of personal data such as birth name, maiden name, place and date of birth, parents and sibling names, gender, eye color, height, current and past address, and employment and educational history, as well as your banking information and your complete medical history, can all be linked to this ID number and stored in a centralized database.
National ID cards and the databases behind them are designed to be the cornerstone of government surveillance systems that threaten personal privacy and freedom. The requirement to produce identity cards on demand forces citizens to participate in their own surveillance and ultimate social control. Many countries are now “modernizing” their ID databases to include biometric identifiers that authenticate or verify identity based on physical characteristics such as fingerprints, iris scans, face and palm prints, voice recognition, and, of course, DNA.
For employees, companies have developed biometric systems to control access to places of employment. Employees can be asked for a thumbprint to gain entrance to a room in their corporate headquarters. Corporations have developed these systems so that consumers can purchase the company’s products and services. For example, Amazon’s One Pay requires you to scan and actually wave your palm over a scanner to make a purchase. Consumers see this as convenient. Corporations see this as data control. It seems the general public has reached a stage where geolocation tracking, video surveillance, and facial recognition software are now mainstream and accepted as part of everyday life.
Those who support biometrics argue that these digital IDs prevent identity fraud. Supporters of this system claim it is safe because you cannot change your fingerprints or irises. However, they do not point out that the stored information can be compromised in many other ways. In some countries, biometric data that has already been collected can be obtained without a warrant and without notice to the individual. Laws are changing. If you apply for a job requiring fingerprinting or a background check, your employer could require you to submit a photo, a fingerprint, or a facial ID to a biometric database. At that point, the individual loses control over who has access to this personal information.
As facial recognition databases become more common and accepted, the likelihood of an innocent individual being misidentified as a criminal or fired for unjust causes increases. Add to the possible use of AI, there are numerous ways an individual can lose personal freedom, rights, and even their livelihood.
The bottom line is governments and corporations are not using biometrics to increase security, but they’re using it to increase their oversight and control. With biometric ID’s government and corporations will be able to stop whistleblowers, investigations, or any rebellious fraction.
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