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Consider, for example, how futurists warned of the day when consumers would voluntarily line up for the pleasure of being 'microchipped' so as to more efficiently access the 'matrix' with a magical wave of the hand. Well, that drop of
derangement has already seen the light of day. The technology, injected under the skin, was thought to be the end game, the so-called 'mark of the beast'
according to some apocalyptic critics, as far as personal freedom is concerned. Unless human beings submitted to being electronically chipped, the doomsayers say, they would be barred from engaging in vital social activities, including shopping, banking or using the Internet. In effect a death sentence.
Today, however, with radical advances being made in the field of facial recognition technologies, it looks as though the promising chip has met its match.
In a recent
article by Market Watch, a new 'frictionless' consumer dawn is on the horizon where cumbersome accessories like wallets and purses, together with the outdated cash and credit cards they hold, will be replaced by a payment scheme known as the "
biometric mobile wallet." Sounds like the ultimate gift this holiday season, right? Well, think again.
First of all, the name of the technology is very misleading since there is no leather billfold to wrap up and place under the Christmas tree. That's because the system works off an individual's distinctive bodily features, face, fingerprints and retinas. In other words, the ultimate 'face control.'
Comment: If there's one feature to rival the high costs of American military tech (e.g., the F-35), it's their poor quality. That's what happens when you have a system of no-bid contracts and a revolving door between government and the military tech industry. When the government is free to spend other people's money (i.e. tax dollars), it goes to favored clients, who are free in turn to charge exorbitant fees for crappy products.