Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Global Update on Compulsory Identity Technologies

The run on global identity continues

"The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative was just about proving you were a citizen, not that you had to do it by any specific kind of technology. We are close to the point now that if you don't want RFID in any of your documents that you can't leave the country or get back into it." -Michigan State Representative Paul Opsommer 

From Global Research of Canada

Enhanced driver's licenses have built-in radio chips providing an identifying number or information that can be accessed by a remote reading unit while the license is inside a wallet or purse. The technology already had been implemented in Washington State, where it is promoted as an alternative to a passport for traveling to Canada . So far, the program is optional. But there are other agreements already approved with Michigan, Vermont, New York and Arizona, and plans are under way in other states, including Texas [who passed state transportation code for both RFID & biometrics in 2007].

Many countries besides the Security and Prosperity Partnership [United States, Mexico, Canada] members have jumped on the RFID bandwagon, which has become a multibillion dollar global enterprise.

[On June 1st, 2009, the first day of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) full implementation, Border Trade Alliance (BTA), is asking U.S. and Canadian citizens to use Twitter to post their cross-border travel experiences with WHTI to collect feedback on the program at land ports throughout North America.]

On July 15, 2009, the Indian government announced that India is going to issue biometric ID cards to its 1.2 billion citizens. The Government in Delhi recently created the Unique Identification Authority, a new state department charged with the task of assigning every living Indian an exclusive number. It will also be responsible for gathering and electronically storing their personal details, at a predicted cost of at least £3 billion.

On July 28, 2009, President Felipe Calderon proclaimed that Mexico will start issuing nationwide identity cards for its citizens starting this year and by 2012 everyone will have one.

Compulsory national identity cards are used in about 100 countries including Germany, France, Belgium, Greece, Luxembourg, Portugal and Spain.

German police can detain people who are not carrying their ID card for up to 24 hours.

South Korean, Brazilian, Italian and Malaysian ID cards contain fingerprints. Cards in some countries contain information on any distinguishing marks of the holder. In the European Union some cards can be used instead of a passport for European travel. ID cards are not used yet in the US , Canada , New Zealand , Australia , the Irish Republic , and the Nordic countries. :::MORE HERE:::

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Although the Governor of Arizona at the time (current DHS Secretary Napolitano) entered into an agreement on DHS, the state legislature rejected it saying she over stepped her bounds of executive power. They have passed a bill this session BANNING EDLs, which has been sent to their new governor. In addition to concerns over RFID, the legislature was concerned over the sharing of facial recognition data with foreign countires such as Mexico.