EPIC - 2005 Privacy Year in Review
Here is a year-end review from the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC). In their report they note, "It's been an eventful year in privacy, right up to the end, with revelations of government surveillance of activists, warrantless wiretaps by the National Security Agency, and a Congressional staring contest over the renewal of the Patriot Act. And the months preceding this one were no less impressive, with data security laws, RFID, and voter privacy making headlines."

Celebrity Chipsters
Apparently a former government official who joined the board of a company that makes implanted chips vowed to get a chipped, and he never did. This World Net Daily report (Life With Big Brother) has the details. The company is eager to get him to keep his word, they seem to think having a big name government official get chipped will help acclimate the rest of us into the brave new world of implanted radio ID tags. I'm just surprised that their PR department thinks that this former government official has the kind of name recognition that would do that. Do you imagine that people will say: If it's good enough for Tommy Thompson, it's good enough for me.

Update: Tommy says he may yet get chipped (Yahoo! News - Thompson Still Open to Having Chip Implant).

MSNBC - Microchip Implant Stirs Ethics Debate
According to this report, "Medical ethics experts are questioning a proposal to implant medical identification microchips in the arms of developmentally disabled clients at Orange Grove Center." Right, what could be wrong with that?

Time Magazine - Biochips for Everyone!
It looks like I neglected to post this last month, so I'm making up for lost time. Here is a report on RFID tech from a major name in mainstream media.

Join The Team
If any of the regular readers of this blog would be interested in joining the blog team and posting links to MOTB related news, please reply with your e-mail in comments and I'll send a blogger.com invitation. As you may have noticed, I've not had a lot of time to post lately and could use some help.

My Way News - MIT Wireless Network Tracks Info on Users

This is not exactly mark tech news, but it is interesting that systems are being developed that can monitor where people are in the physical world and relate that data to their internet identity. This is from the AP report:

MIT's newly upgraded wireless network - extended this month to cover the entire school - doesn't merely get you online in study halls, stairwells or any other spot on the 9.4 million square foot campus. It also provides information on exactly how many people are logged on at any given location at any given time. It even reveals a user's identity if the individual has opted to make that data public.

At least here it appears that users have to opt-in to the system, but in other times, and perhaps in other countries, people may not have that freedom.

Yahoo News - New Passports Will Have High-Tech Features
AP reports, "The State Department said Tuesday that it's adding two security features to the new electronic passports that it will start issuing in December...all new U.S. passports issued by the end of this year are supposed to have a microchip containing the holders' name, nationality, sex, birth date, place of birth, issuing office and a biometric identifier — a digital photograph." Ok, so this is not the MOTB, but mandatory identification is definitely something to keep an eye on.

My Way News - Biometric ATMs Not Being Used in U.S.
According to this report from the AP, biometric ATMs are not taking off in the U.S.A: "Scanning fingerprints or irises to verify an ATM customer's identity has yet to penetrate the U.S. banking market because of concerns about expense and privacy."

Red Herring - Banker Gets ID Chip Implant
"To help publicize a company that makes microchips that can be implanted in humans for identification purposes, a prominent San Francisco banker got "chipped' Monday so that his living will is just a scan away if he ever becomes seriously ill."

BetaNews | MasterCard to Offer Swipeless Cards
"MasterCard said at an industry conference in Memphis Monday that it planned to have nearly four million 'swipeless' RFID credit cards in circulation by year's end. Dubbed PayPass, a user will only have to wave his or her card in front of a sensor to make a payment on the item. "

Yahoo News - Wisconsin Lab Works on Post-Bar Code Tech
Here is an update on RFID technology and the latest research efforts to improve the technology, from the AP:

RFID uses a computer chip the size of a grain of rice to store data, which are transmitted wirelessly by a tiny antenna to a receiver. The chips, embedded in tags, now track pallets in warehouses and let drivers pass toll booths without stopping, but its potential is almost limitless. To accelerate deployment, the University of Wisconsin-Madison formally opened a lab this month to study how to make RFID work better, leaving to others to debate the broader issues such as implementation and privacy.

Yahoo News - Biometric IDs could see massive growth
Some information on biometric identification technology and how quickly it is being adopted for security and travel purposes.

My Way News - Officials Test Radio Tags at Canada Border
"Security officials gathered Monday at a Canadian border crossing to mark the first test of a radio frequency identification system to be used by foreign visitors."

Yahoo News - Scientists identify new weapon to fight fraud
Scientists are working on developing a fraud-proof identity verification process, and it doesn't require chips of any kind. The process works by using natural imperfections that exist on any surface. According to the report:

"The beauty of this system is that there is no need to modify the item being protected in any way with tags, chips or ink -- it's as if documents and packaging have their own unique DNA," Cowburn explained in a statement. The scientists are now working with a technology company to take the product to the market.

This Reuters report does not provide the answer to the question I was most interested in, does this process also work on human skin?

My Way News - Pressure on U.S. to Use More Surveillance
"Pressure is building for greater use of video cameras to keep watch over the nation's cities - particularly in transportation systems and other spots vulnerable to terrorism - after the bombings in London."

CNET News - Former Bush official to get RFID tag
"Tommy Thompson, the Health and Human Services Secretary in President Bush's first term and a former Governor of Wisconsin, is going to get tagged. Thompson has joined the board of Applied Digital, which owns VeriChip, the company that specializes in subcutaneous RFID tags for humans and pets. To help promote the concepts behind the technology, Thompson himself will get an RFID tag implanted under his skin."

RFID News - VeriChip Prevents Infant Abduction at NC Hospital
"VeriChip Corporation, a subsidiary of Applied Digital, a leading provider of security and identification technology, announced today that its 'Hugs' RFID infant protection system has prevented the abduction of a baby at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina."

AFP - Machine readable or e-passports to be the norm soon
There is a chance that there will soon be one international standard for biometric identification used when people fly. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, just an interesting trend to keep an eye on.

Prophecy News :: A team blog.: "AlterNet: Hot for Data
'Now you don't need to build your own repressive state apparatus, because HP and Microsoft have done it for you. '"

Implants-R-Us
Technology leader Bill Gates is forecasting our future, and he sees implants, AI and talking computers. According to CNN (Gates: Get ready for chip implants) :

Technological advances will one day allow computers to be implanted in the human body and could help the blind see and the deaf hear, according to Bill Gates. But the Microsoft chairman says he's not ready to be hardwired.

Long before we get to the MOTB there will be some amazing applications, some that may even seem miraculous from an ancient viewpoint, but we should always remember that technology is just a tool, it can be used for good as well as evil. Of course, the usual caveat applies here, we don't know that the MOTB will be tech, we are just watching the trends, and what cool trends they are.

UK To Get Biometric ID Cards
Reuters is reporting (Yahoo News - British lawmakers back ambitious ID scheme) that Great Britain is going ahead with a new national ID plan. According to the report:

Britain's plans to launch the world's most ambitious biometric identity cards cleared their first hurdle on Tuesday, despite the first revolt against Prime Minister Tony Blair since his re-election...The cards would use biometric technology in fingerprint, face and iris recognition.

I think it is important to be aware of these trends in identification technology while noting that a very good argument can be made (The Mark of the Beast: Tattoos & Branding) that the mark will not be implanted technology at all, but could take the form of a digital watermark or even something as primitive as a tattoo.

Follow The Money
Wired News (Your Money Under More Scrutiny) reports, "Banks are installing anti-money-laundering software on a massive scale. The new systems may help track al-Qaida, but they'll also help track everyone else. Small violations of the law will no longer go unnoticed." Great.

The RFID Future
Government and industry reps are getting together to talk about the future of RFID technology (UPI - RFID Future, Hazards Discussed). I wonder if privacy is high on their list of concerns?

U.S. Delays Biometric Passport Plan
According to this report, (My Way News - U.S. to Delay Stricter Passport Standards), "The Bush administration is putting off plans that could have required visitors from friendly nations to show passports with fingerprint and iris scan information by this fall. Instead, foreigners from 27 counties currently not required to apply for U.S. visas will only need to carry passports with tamperproof digitized photos by Oct. 26, administration and congressional officials said Tuesday." The technology is here, they just got ahead of both the infrastructure and the political will on the part of other governments to make it happen.

Privacy Concerns
Ted Koppel is worried about the privacy implications of the Patriot Act, RFID chips, wireless surveillance and ID theft. In this New York Times op-ed (Take My Privacy, Please!), the respected newsman reviews these concerns and calls for greater transparency and protections for our sensitive private information.

Quote of the Day
"Any power must be an enemy of mankind which enslaves the individual by terror and force, whether it arises under the Fascist or the Communist flag. All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded to the individual." --Albert Einstein

Biometric Bandwagon
Russia is also jumping on the biometric ID bandwagon (AFP - Russia to introduce biometric passports in 2007), though their new passports won't debut until 2007.

Your Papers Please
The post-9-11 environment has been a boon for security companies, especially those that sell biometric ID technology (the kind that is keyed to your body, like your fingerprints, the shape of your face, or your iris). What we have now is a race between the security needs of government and industry and terrorists who are intent on finding the flaws in the new technology. I suspect that ultimately we will find that the most secure form of ID is the kind that is redundant, placed in and on your body in various locations and using various methods. It is interesting to track these trends as they evolve, as one day one of them will become the dreaded Mark of the Beast (Rev 13:16-18). In this latest news, the U.S. government is upgrading border security by requiring biometric identification and letting people know they should get used to it (Reuters - Get used to biometric tests, U.S. tells travelers). The U.S. is also encouraging international standards (Independent - US wants to be able to access Britons' ID cards) so that biometric data can easily be shared among the responsible authorities.

RFID Passport Security Increased
Wired News (Feds Rethinking RFID Passport) reports that in the wake of privacy concerns about the government's new RFID passports, the State Department is reconsidering a plan it previously rejected. The plan would offer privacy protection, including encryption.

Homeland Hopefuls
Wired News (Ridge Says RFID Boosts Security) reports: The former head of the Department of Homeland Security says RFID will help make the United States safer, but critics aren't so sure. I don't really think that RFID is the mark, but it could become part of the mark in some way. It certainly deserves attention, but we should also watch other emerging technologies, like digital watermarks.

Wired - Passport Chip Criticism Grows
Wired News reports, "More critics speak out against a government plan to put remotely readable chips in U.S. passports. Opponents of the plan include business travel groups, security experts and privacy advocates." I wonder why the government can't work with these groups to perfect the technology before putting it in our passports and ID cards?

RFID Cards Get Spin Treatment
According to this Wired News report, the government is playing Orwellian word games to avoid public concern over privacy and identity theft. So, just to be clear, new biometric identification plans (including passports) may use radio signals to send data, but they are not RFID. Really. Nothing to see here, move along.