The Digital ID provides government the ability to track, analyze, predict, and control a person’s private activities. It is the antithesis of individual freedom, and will not require an implantable chip as many have feared for decades. Evidence clearly shows that Biometrics, such as fingerprints and facial scans, will do the job much more efficiently. And the aftermath of the COVID lockdown shows us how it will be deployed. During the COVID era, Governments said that masks were recommended, while private companies said, “No mask, no entry.” And the public overwhelmingly complied, but not with an over-reaching government, they complied with the grocery store to buy food, the airlines to travel, and their own banks to access money. Looking back it is quite clear, the COVID lockdowns provided an opportunity to beta test digital ID compliance through private company mandates, and helped normalize the use of QR scans and facial pics for entry into private businesses. And it proved to be a success. Now we are seeing the same techniques being used with the roll-out of the Digital ID. The gold standard for biometric regulation was written in 2008 as the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, and is being replicated all over the United States. It mandates that private entities obtain written consent before collecting biometrics, disclose their policies, and destroy data after a set period. And most importantly, it exempts government entities entirely, allowing state and federal government to collect and utilize biometric data while passing the liability to private corporations. These laws have been met with over a thousand class action law suits since 2015, which resulted in the standardization of consent prompts in apps and services, such as, Affirm’s Biometric Consent which now states: “By clicking ‘Accept’ or proceeding, you consent to collection of Biometric Data,” click a button – and you’re in the new system. If government were to mandate the Digital ID, it would predictably ignite mass protest. We can see this happening today in the UK. The United States will avoid this by utilizing the private sector in what appears to be voluntary action. The FBI’s Clearview AI has harvested over thirty billion faces from social media. And because Clearview is technically a private company, the FBI has access to all this without the need for asking. In over forty-three states, the Department of Motor Vehicles have sold driver’s license photos to private firms, who resold to local police for facial recognition. The government doesn’t need to mandate biometric ID, which would most likely be considered a violation of American rights, and so it outsources the mandate to private companies, who are legally required to get consent, while the government is free to collect and utilize this data under legal immunity. Just like the COVID era, you will be free to give consent, but if you choose not to, you will have to leave the Reservation and find a way to fend for yourself. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gregreese.substack.com/subscribe
