The Convenience of the Mark of the Beast
Hot Title I know... but follow me here.
Yesterday I heard a story on NPR about some new technology that improves upon credit card use. If I heard it correctly, then the article was about how there are newer credit cards and stronger credit card readers now used. Instead of actually running the credit card through the machine to use it, the card can just be flashed BY the card reader and it picks up the card number for processing. I think MasterCard has a new commercial about this with a runner going to a 7-11.
Part of the fear for this technology is that it can be used in nefarious ways. The example the article cited was about a peace rally. Say 25,000 people gather for a peace rally. If someone with a strong or highly powered card reader stands at the entrance they can essentially gather 25,000 credit card numbers before the rally is over. That thief goes home and can then download the social security numbers and addresses for these folks and voila, 25,000 people now are at risk for a ruined future. Not to mention the ability to record who goes where with this same technology.
Who is to say that a group can't track people movements, or attendance at events with this same idea? When you play this out to it's natural end, it just isn't pretty. Being an Oregonian, I love my freedom from the gov'ment. Southern Oregon is rife with people who want Big Brother out of their lives and I have to count myself among them.
So what is the answer to this problem? When my mind went fast forward to solve the problem of inopportune credit card reading I realized: We Americans are not going to have the mark of the beast forced upon us. No, in fact I think we will come to accept it as the only alternative to ultimately "secure ourselves" from thieves and still keep our sick love of convenience. Most people will embrace the technology as a"savior" and won't be able to view it as the noose it is meant to be. It is right in line with our series of freedom reductions in the name of safety. We've given up a lot of freedoms in the last 5 years, but I'm not any safer then I was before. Are you?
Well, that's what I've been thinking about today. What do you think?
Yesterday I heard a story on NPR about some new technology that improves upon credit card use. If I heard it correctly, then the article was about how there are newer credit cards and stronger credit card readers now used. Instead of actually running the credit card through the machine to use it, the card can just be flashed BY the card reader and it picks up the card number for processing. I think MasterCard has a new commercial about this with a runner going to a 7-11.
Part of the fear for this technology is that it can be used in nefarious ways. The example the article cited was about a peace rally. Say 25,000 people gather for a peace rally. If someone with a strong or highly powered card reader stands at the entrance they can essentially gather 25,000 credit card numbers before the rally is over. That thief goes home and can then download the social security numbers and addresses for these folks and voila, 25,000 people now are at risk for a ruined future. Not to mention the ability to record who goes where with this same technology.
Who is to say that a group can't track people movements, or attendance at events with this same idea? When you play this out to it's natural end, it just isn't pretty. Being an Oregonian, I love my freedom from the gov'ment. Southern Oregon is rife with people who want Big Brother out of their lives and I have to count myself among them.
So what is the answer to this problem? When my mind went fast forward to solve the problem of inopportune credit card reading I realized: We Americans are not going to have the mark of the beast forced upon us. No, in fact I think we will come to accept it as the only alternative to ultimately "secure ourselves" from thieves and still keep our sick love of convenience. Most people will embrace the technology as a"savior" and won't be able to view it as the noose it is meant to be. It is right in line with our series of freedom reductions in the name of safety. We've given up a lot of freedoms in the last 5 years, but I'm not any safer then I was before. Are you?
Well, that's what I've been thinking about today. What do you think?
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