a reply to:
Ahabstar
Of course it is about control... it is always about control.
We are (were?) taught that anyone can be anything... every child can grow up to be whatever it is they want if they work hard enough and smart enough.
For years, that was true. Oh, sure, if you want to run a business, you have to get a license, but that's not a big deal. Right? Only now it is... if
you aren't supposed to open your business this week and do so anyway, the city will just pull your license. A governor can simply sign a piece of
paper and say who can and cannot open a business today. No check, no balance, just sign and it's a done deal.
Need to go to town and pick something up? Well, you have to comply with certain regulations to be out in public. After all, it's for the public
health... if you don't comply you are more than just a criminal. You become an evil death-bringer, because the
boogeyman virus will
get you and everyone you love. And the government will know if you stepped out into the public, because you're carrying around a transponder in your
pocket.
But, hey, no one can tell from afar if you're wearing a face mask. That's right, but once a vaccine is developed they will know if you've been
vaccinated. There are records about that, you know. It's not hard to have a computer check cell phone signals against vaccination databases and look
for unvaccinated people walking around loose being all evil and stuff. And to be honest, if that were implemented I would feel safer than if it
wasn't... because it will be implemented. We just might or might not be told it was implemented.
More likely, you will be issued a certificate of vaccination... your "papers." Stores will be required by one of those quickly-signed "laws" to
require shoppers to have their papers. Refuse or cheat, and you'll lose your business license. It's all for the public health, after all, and we have
to make sure that the
boogeyman virus doesn't "get ya!" Besides, what's wrong with proving you're not the next Typhoid Mary? Isn't
that peace of mind worth a little inconvenience?
Of course, papers can get lost. Hadn't thought about that. It's not fair for people to go get a vaccination and still not be able to get essentials!
We have to do better... so here's an idea! A little microchip under the skin. It's tiny; it's painless; it's for the good of society! All it will do
is show that you've been vaccinated. What harm can that do?
What they won't tell you is the last step. You see, those chips don't carry any information except a number. When they are scanned, there's a
high-frequency signal that the chip picks up. It changes that signal into a tiny amount of power that runs the chip for a millisecond or two, just
long enough to transmit back the number. Sounds harmless... what can they do with just a number? As it turns out, plenty.
Every purchase you make can now be paid for with that chip. Just scan your hand and the network will connect the number to your government database.
That will have your bank info on it. Obviously it was YOU who scanned your hand, so just take the funds from the bank to pay for your purchase. No
need to carry those cards around any more. It can also be tied to your
transponder phone, so your receipt can be texted to you. Look
how convenient this is! And you can't lose your microchip, so it's completely secure and safe. No more virtual crime! No more hacking! No more
identity theft!
Except that there is. Those microchips are cheap... and I mean damn cheap! So all someone has to do is program a number into one and stick it in some
ballistics gel in their pocket, report your phone stolen, and they have your account. Now they can palm the microchip and buy whatever they want...
and you get to pay for it.
Don't think for a moment that is far-fetched. Every single thing I just mentioned is actually already old tech. Microchips are used regularly in pets
right now, and that is exactly how they work... they receive an activation signal and send back a number. That number is then programmed into the
database to identify who owns the pet. Connecting accounts is what computers do best... don't believe me? Search for something on Amazon and then
watch the ads on ATS... they'll tailor those ads to your Amazon search. It's not just ATS either... heck, play the Microsoft Solitaire Collection on
Windows 10 and watch the ads... I searched for a harness for my new puppy last night; this morning I got ads for pet supplies from Amazon. That's
multiple accounts tied together. When I log into my Amazon account, Amazon makes a record of what I looked at (how else can they have my shopping
history?). They also set a cookie in my browser. When I log into any site or app that uses ad services from Google, it can access that cookie and get
my account number, then it transmits that to Amazon, and Amazon sends back ads based on that shopping history.
And it all happens in the blink of an eye, based on one number stored in a cookie.
Sure, you say, businesses want this info so they can try to sell you stuff... but why would the government want it? Well, that's pretty simple, too.
If the government knows what you buy and when you buy it, it makes it easier to enforce laws that we can't enforce right now. For instance, say you
drive to a nearby town. Nice day, sunny, clear, no traffic to speak of, no cops in sight... and you catch yourself doing 82 in a 70 mph zone. Oops! No
biggie; no one saw you... except they did. That phone in your pocket has GPS and reads it pretty much continuously to keep you connected to the right
tower. Speed is just change in position over time, and the cell company has all that info. Far-fetched, you say? Well, I have driven a company van
that had GPS as well, and any speed over 65 mph, regardless of the reason, was an automatic write-up and possibly a loss of driving privileges. How
did they know? GPS reported it to company headquarters in under 5 seconds. Your phone can do the same.
Now you go to the store and buy something.. say, a nice case for our phone. $5. No biggie, right? Scan your microchip and there's your receipt on your
phone. Then you get another text: the speeding ticket for driving 82 mph in a 70. Oh, crap! But don't worry; for your convenience, the ticket amount
and court costs have already been taken out of your bank for your convenience. You can appear in court in two months if you want to fight the ticket.
Thank you for dealing with the Nebraska Highway Patrol!
Go to checkout at the grocery store... the cashier rings up your purchases and you scan your chip. Oops, rejected! You see, your medical history is
all online too, and your last checkup showed your cholesterol is up. Doctor's orders, no beef for you! You can't buy that package of ground beef to
use for grilling hamburgers. Everything else went through fine, though, so you have everything you need for your family cookout... except the meat.
~continued~