Technocracy

MasterCard joining push for fingerprint ID standard

"MasterCard is joining the FIDO Alliance, signaling that the payment network is getting interested in using fingerprints and other biometric data to identify people for online payments. MasterCard will be the first major payment network to join FIDO. The Alliance is developing an open industry standard for biometric data such as fingerprints to be used for identification online. The goal is to replace clunky passwords and take friction out of logging on and purchasing using mobile devices. Google is part of the Alliance, and devices running Google's Android operating system will have fingerprint sensors by next year." Continue reading →

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‘Biometric Classroom’ Monitors Students’ Eye Movements And Conversations

"A report from Yahoo News Tuesday detailed a group of New York engineers who are developing a 'biometric classroom' monitoring program that will track students' every move. Sean Montgomery, co-founder and engineer for SensorStar Labs, says tracking students’ eye movements, conversations and smiles with 'EngageSense' cameras will help teachers improve classroom learning. Algorithms in the program will crunch the raw visual and audio data to give teachers detailed information on students’ actions. Teachers will then be advised on how to better engage students." Continue reading →

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30,000 people can access Ohio driver’s license database with no oversight

"Ohio allows thousands of police officers and court employees to access driver’s license images online without oversight, by far the nation’s most permissive system. A recent Cincinnati Enquirer/Gannett Ohio investigation found the state permits 30,000 law enforcement officers and others to search the image database, which Attorney General Mike DeWine admitted last month had been uploaded in June without telling the public or reviewing security protocols. The Republican attorney general said similar technology was used by law enforcement in more than half the U.S., but the Enquirer’s report showed the technology is far more limited elsewhere." Continue reading →

Continue Reading30,000 people can access Ohio driver’s license database with no oversight

Canadian Mint ready to test its own digital money project

"MintChip is 'the future of money,' according to the Mint’s promotional video, which goes on to present it as a digital version that would be legal tender, just like physical dollars and cents. You would hold it on a smartphone or other electronic device, just like a wallet. And according to the Mint’s Mr. Brûlé, the money could be used just as easily whether you’re shopping at a conventional bricks-and-mortar retailer, on-line or at your neighbour’s garage sale, though your neighbour would of course need a properly equipped smartphone. Mr. Brûlé sees it as part of the leading edge of a tsunami in mobile technology that is now washing over our society." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCanadian Mint ready to test its own digital money project

Canadian Group Protests Missing Signs In Speed Camera Zones

"Wise Up Winnipeg members stood at the corner of Stafford Street and Warsaw on Friday warning drivers with bright yellow signs that read, 'Unsigned school zone ahead.' The group wants to bring attention to the city's refusal to act on a list of 203 locations where they say the signs do not comply with legal standards. So far, city officials are not commenting on the matter and have installed only three new warning signs since the group raised the issue last October. On Tuesday, video was posted of Winnipeg city employees pulling down a speed limit sign. The city is looking to further increase citations by reducing school zone speed limits from 50km/h (31 MPH) to 30km/h (19 MPH)." Continue reading →

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Public school students being tracked continually

"Because of her religious beliefs, Andrea Hernandez was expelled – yes, expelled from John Jay High School in January 2013! Next week: Victory! Andrea Hernandez has been readmitted to that school and, because she would not abandon her American right to religious freedom, that school district has stopped using the RFID badges tracking program. I will delightedly show you how all this happened, setting a legal precedent that other American students wielding the Constitution may follow. In view of John Whitehead’s continuous teaching of what the Constitution actually says, I wish he were running for president in 2016." Continue reading →

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Homeland Security to Test Face Scanning Cameras at Hockey Game

"The Department of Homeland Security is set to test new facial recognition technology at the the Tri-Cities Americans home opener at Toyota Center in Kennewick next weekend as part of its long term mission 'to identify terrorists and criminals in public areas.' The DHS will work with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to run the test during a portion of a game on September 21. PNNL staff members will participate in the test, which will attempt to match their identities with photographs as they move around the stadium. The staffers will wear ankle bracelets which will send a signal to the cameras when they are close enough to be photographed and matched with the still shots." Continue reading →

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Obamacare will question your sex life

"'Are you sexually active? If so, with one partner, multiple partners or same-sex partners?' Be ready to answer those questions and more the next time you go to the doctor, whether it’s the dermatologist or the cardiologist and no matter if the questions are unrelated to why you’re seeking medical help. And you can thank the Obama health law. Doctors and hospitals who don’t comply with the federal government’s electronic-health-records requirements forgo incentive payments now; starting in 2015, they’ll face financial penalties from Medicare and Medicaid. The Department of Health and Human Services has already paid out over $12.7 billion for these incentives." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObamacare will question your sex life

Obamacare will question your sex life

"'Are you sexually active? If so, with one partner, multiple partners or same-sex partners?' Be ready to answer those questions and more the next time you go to the doctor, whether it’s the dermatologist or the cardiologist and no matter if the questions are unrelated to why you’re seeking medical help. And you can thank the Obama health law. Doctors and hospitals who don’t comply with the federal government’s electronic-health-records requirements forgo incentive payments now; starting in 2015, they’ll face financial penalties from Medicare and Medicaid. The Department of Health and Human Services has already paid out over $12.7 billion for these incentives." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObamacare will question your sex life

Now That Hybrids Have Become Popular…

"First, egg-on the production of hybrids and electrics via artificial inducements and special perks (such as being able to drive in those High Occupancy Vehicle lanes, even if it’s just you in the car). Wait for these unconventional cars to become pretty got-damned conventional. Then whine about the 'lost revenue' which must be recovered. Meanwhile, pass laws that double (and soon, will triple) the fuel economy of the average non-hybrid car – knowing that will provide even more excuse to whine about all the 'revenue' lost. Then hit them up with the notion of a tax-per-mile. It will not even be necessary to discuss the means by which it’ll be implemented. That will follow almost automatically." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNow That Hybrids Have Become Popular…