Kantara floats voluntary-compulsory authentication for social saftey nets

NSTIC policy experiment applied to government dependents

BTC --  The Kantara Initiative paved a name and a place for themselves by bringing bank card infrastructure to US food stamp programs and general relief banking options.  Kantara's work centers on social safety nets and frameworks of anyone completely dependent on the US government for food, shelter or money.  The user population for their services has dramatically increased due to Iraq and Afghanistan war homecomings and the 2008 economic crash.  Slow job growth and unemployment has pushed many Americans into US social service systems in larger numbers.

NSTIC, the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace, is working with Kantara to bring an authentication credential system online for US social service recipients.  Kantara's involvement would make transactional monitoring between recipients and guarantors more convenient.  FICAM, the Federal Identity, Credential and Access Management, moved ahead in 2009 is a model for Kantara going forward, cites a recent report at Secure ID News.

"In the case of credentials, that accreditation comes from the Kantara Initiative. Kantara’s Identity Assurance Accreditation and Approval Program aims to grow identity credential services based on the four levels of assurance that are measured and validated in the U.S. Federal Identity Credential and Access Management (ICAM) trust framework." 

REDUX: TSA, Federal Surveillance stonewalls FOIA inquiry

BTC - Have we hit the glass wall where transparency is not allowed?

Here is second life for news that matters:

Government Withholds Records on Need for Expanded Surveillance Law

DHS Privacy Office ordered TSA not to answer Identity Project's FOIA request

REFRESHMENT?
Rep.Eshoo elect takes on downsizing the Intelligence-Industrial Complex

Eshoo is the chairwoman for the Subcommittee on Intelligence Community Management under the Select Committee on Intelligence and wants to limit the number of subcontractors the intelligence community employs, about a third of 854,000 workers. The nation’s security clearance needs to be reformed because too much information sharing and too much security clearance is given to people who have no allegiance to the government, according to Eshoo. She also wants to better track the dollars the intelligence community gets from the government.

[If it goes forward, we support and salute you!]


When body scanners become mandatory @LossOfPrivacy

KPFA FM : Betsy Hartmann Interview on population control, immigration eugenics and green eugenics
*Super relevant if you are opposed to national identity programs.

GPS ruling chips away at civil liberties

OCTOBER SURPRISE: National ID Auths for FEMA tests, suggests NSTIC

DHS Conducts Nationwide ID Authentication Test For Emergency Preparedness

c/o Terra News ... Freedoms Phoenix

"Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently coordinated a nationwide demonstration showing the ability to deploy a common, interoperable credentialing system that enables electronic identity authentication for government and industry personnel."

WHAT IS NSTIC, AGAIN?

"Individuals and organizations utilize secure, efficient, easy-to-use, and interoperable identity solutions to access online services in a manner that promotes confidence, privacy, choice, and innovation."

Do we want this?  I believe the public asked for an additional 90 days to evaluate the program.

Boston's Immunization Surveillance Tests Digital Registry

BTC - We spoke with Boston Globe city reporter Stephen Smith yesterday to update information about current innoculation programs. The story to follow was published 11/28/08 - last year. The information, after checking with the Boston Public Health Commission's, Ann Scales, is still current and factually sound. We are now in the process of requesting a photo from EMS of current inocculation bracelets given to those accepting voluntary swine flu shots. According to Scales, they do not have an RFID tag in them.

4:00 PM CST 9/17 UPDATE From Boston Emergency Management Services or EMS

We spoke this afternoon to Jennifer Mehigan of Boston EMS to find out more about H1N1 and the existence of permanent innoculation bracelets given to those who come for vaccines. The picture is the actual immunization record given to those who voluntarily receive the flu shot. As you can plainly see, it is not a metal "shackle" containing an RFID tag and is not required or even implied by local law to be a permanent fixture for the patient.

She mentioned that a bracelet containing an RFID tag had been up for consideration for low fatality outbreaks. The local government decided on a barcode system of data management to track a patient after they have been vaccinated. The current system is being used during flu seasons to test it's effectiveness to track lethal pandemic outbreaks declared as federal emergencies. According to Mehigan, the H1N1 virus or swine flu does not currently possess the threat level necessary to require FEMA's assistance in identifying vaccine recipients. FEMA has more direct understanding of federal bracelet systems and disaster readiness programs in those cases.

"Simply put, when we say “patient tracking,” what we really mean is vaccination tracking. When a resident gets a flu vaccine through BPHC, they will receive a barcode number on a sticker either attached to a bracelet or a vaccination card. The barcode tracks where the vaccine has gone and tracks the patient through the number and not their name," says Mehigan of Boston EMS Communications.

The State of Massachusetts attracted national news attention recently over legislation which has passed at least one chamber to require citizens to take the H1N1 vaccine or be fined up to $1000 a day until providing proof of inocculation. The State legislation has since drawn intense criticism since that time.

Boston.com c/o Stephen Smith

When people arrive for their shots, they will get an ID bracelet with a barcode. Next, basic information - name, age, gender, address - will be entered into the patient tracking database. There will be electronic records, too, of who gave the vaccine and whether it was injected into the right arm or the left, and time-stamped for that day.

(BOSTON)--Using technology originally developed for mass disasters, Boston disease trackers are embarking on a novel experiment - one of the first in the country - aimed at eventually creating a citywide registry of everyone who has had a flu vaccination.

The resulting vaccination map would allow swift intervention in neighborhoods left vulnerable to the fast-moving respiratory illness.

The trial starts this afternoon, when several hundred people are expected to queue up for immunizations at the headquarters of the Boston Public Health Commission. Each of them will get a bracelet printed with a unique identifier code. Information about the vaccine's recipients, and the shot, will be entered into handheld devices similar to those used by delivery truck drivers.

Boston is believed to be the first city to embrace this particular approach to tracking vaccinations against the seasonal flu, estimated to kill 36,000 people each year in the United States, principally the elderly.

When people arrive for their shots, they will get an ID bracelet with a barcode. Next, basic information - name, age, gender, address - will be entered into the patient tracking database. There will be electronic records, too, of who gave the vaccine and whether it was injected into the right arm or the left, and time-stamped for that day.

The resulting trove of data could be used to figure out why some patients had to wait longer than others to be vaccinated. "When all is said and done," said Jun Davantes, director of product management at EMSystems, the company that makes the technology, "Boston will be able to identify where there are certain bottlenecks in the process and hopefully improve it the next time around."

Ultimately, city health authorities said, they envision creating a network across the city that would allow public and private providers of flu shots to add data to a registry.

But acknowledging patients' privacy concerns, officials promised that if a citywide system were implemented, only a limited amount of information would be gathered - all sitting behind an encrypted firewall.

"I have had people say, 'Oh, that's so big brother,' " said Laura Williams, EMS deputy chief of staff. "But in truth, the unique identifier is unique to the incident. It's not like you will go to the hospital, and they'll say, 'You're the one who got the flu vaccine at 10 o'clock yesterday at the Boston Public Health Commission.' "

Stephen Smith can be reached at stsmith@globe.com

Jersey Eats The Veri-Chip

And the contract goes to Jersey FEMA....

DELRAY BEACH, FL – April 20, 2009 -- VeriChip Corporation (NASDAQ:CHIP) (“VeriChip”), a provider of radio frequency identification (RFID) systems for healthcare and patient-related needs, announced today that it has sold the VeriTrace™ system for disaster relief and emergency management needs to Atlantic and Mercer counties in New Jersey.

BAD NEWS: 2.2 Billion in Federal Real ID Funds

 FEMA GRANTS STILL INTACT FOR REAL-ID

Provides grant support. $2.2 billion in support, primarily in the form of grants, to the Department's State and local partners in homeland security. The Budget continues to emphasize programs that distribute grant awards on the basis of risk, and this year introduces a grant program to help States implement Real ID requirements and provide a more efficient, merit-based allocation of limited resources.

Merit based?  Does that mean if our State government is "good" then we get the facist financial cookie?  

It's time to check out New Hampshire's federal "reality" bill.  I, for one, have had more than enough of the hard power tactics and am ready for some change with bonafides vs. globalist lip service.  Thanks for the tip off  from AND I STILL RISE.

GOOD HUMOR for BAD NEWS

Not like I'm into Glenn Beck, but here's some news on this:

Here's  Steven Colbert, a favorite, on Glenn Beck.

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Truth From the Gut

Colbert Report Full Episodes
Funny Political News

Christian Bale Parody
Joke of the Day

First 100 Days of Sparkling Light?

CHANGE IS COMING TO FEMA... Truthout/WashingtonPost.com

The Federal Emergency Management Administration, a tragicomic disaster since Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 -- and even before then -- looks to be getting a facelift under the Obama administration, sources tell us.

First off, the likely plan is to break off the agency from the Department of Homeland Security, a move that would in itself help restore the pride FEMA folks felt when it was an independent agency.

BTC Comment:

Extracting FEMA from the Department of Homeland Security may mean the beginning of the end for the National Applications Office.  Again, you don't need multi-million dollar spying sattellites creating dystopic enmity with terrified people fleeing from domestic disasters. I personally would love to see DHS go back to simply being the Department of Domestic Security.  It's broke, so lets fix it.

Texas DPS Applies for $171.2 million in Real ID Grants

DPS Commission Hearing on Implementation Readiness for Real IDs

A BeatTheChip Exclusive

AUSTIN -- Texas Department of Public Safety License Administrator Chief Judy Brown briefed the Public Safety Commission Thursday, October 16th on DPS’s application status for $171.2 million in FEMA/DHS grants to implement recent rules and technologies Real ID compliant license standards. Chief Brown discussed the public-private business model including staffing commissioned officers in a new proposed license administrator hierarchy, amid priorities to implement the federal mandate.

Brown indicated there was significant reluctance from State Legislators and resources to move forward with financing the new licenses with State funds. If the FEMA/DHS grants are accepted in the State of Texas, proposed rulemaking would standardize new licenses to for federal purposes such as: applying for social programs, entering federal buildings, and flying on regulated aircraft by the next deadline of 2009 and state the driver’s nationality.

C. Tom Clowe Jr. , DPS Comissioner, asked Chief Brown about her rationale for employing comissioned officers over civillian clerks.

“Civillians will argue with another civllian [clerk]. They will not argue with a uniform,” said Chief Brown during her commentary for incorporating a new job title, “Civillian Manager”.

Other topics covered during the meeting included a response from DPS Chairman Allen Polunsky to those giving public input regarding license inspection checkpoints. Citizens expressed opposition during public input to random license checkpoints and a new rule requiring citizenship documentation in order to attain a drivers license. Immediately following the testimony from members of the 5-11 Campaign, Polunsky said, “There are no plans... to instill public checkpoints at this time.” He added that concerns over the checkpoints were premature.

Later in the meeting, Chairman Polunsky submitted a letter from Texas Senator Juan Hinajosa concerned about the rulemaking for license requirements and license examination checkpoints.



September 8th, 2008 the DPS sought permissions from the Attorney General in the form of an opinion request document to allow license checkpoints in the State of Texas. Checkpoints have been illegal in the state of Texas since 1994.


YOUTUBE FOOTAGE OF DPS MEETING: