Cashless society: 85 per cent of Canadians don’t pay with cash regularly
As we continue to move in the direction of becoming a cashless society, consumers and businesses are starting to make adjustments so they can adapt. Eighty-five per cent of Canadian consumers are now paying with either debit or credit on a regular basis. “It’s definitely a lot more tap and a lot more Apple pay, […]
All Filipinos can enroll for national ID by mid-2020
The Philippine Statistics Authority says it is on track to have all 107 million Filipinos registered in the Philippine Identification System by mid-2022 All Filipinos living in the country can start registering for the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) by July 2020, while overseas Filipinos can start by 2021. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) kicked off […]
Silicon Valley is building a Chinese-style social credit system
In China, scoring citizens’ behavior is official government policy. U.S. companies are increasingly doing something similar, outside the law. Have you heard about China’s social credit system? It’s a technology-enabled, surveillance-based nationwide program designed to nudge citizens toward better behavior. The ultimate goal is to “allow the trustworthy to roam everywhere under heaven while making […]
Nepal moves closer to approving biometric national ID card bill
A Nepali government committee has approved the National Identity and Civil Registration Bill, which would mandate the issuance of a biometric national ID card, as well as separate biometric registries and ID cards for foreign residents of Nepal and Non-Resident Nepalis, The Himalayan Times reports. Now that the parliamentary State Affairs and Good Governance committee […]
Fundamental changes ahead as ground systems prepare for constellations, 5G
When Spire Global was building a constellation of cubesats to gather maritime and weather data in 2015, the startup built its own UHF ground station network. Now, most startups wouldn’t consider building their own ground systems because they can rely on a growing roster of companies that specialize in handling data flowing between satellites and […]
Real ID in Oklahoma: One more extension needed to comply with 14-year-old legislation
It’s taking awhile — and yet another deadline extension from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security — but officials say Oklahoma eventually will be Real ID compliant. Do you remember Real ID? It’s something the commission that investigated the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the U.S. decided was needed after discovering that the 19 hijackers […]
The Long Road to 5G IoT Reality
The Internet of Things (IoT) is set to be one of the main aspects of the phase 2 release of 5G, which is due to be completed in December 2019 and finalized in March 2020. Modules that work on the new networks won’t be available for a couple of years after 2020. This phase of […]
Kentucky granted another Real ID extension
This extension means you’ll be able to use your current driver’s license to board domestic flights and visit military bases until Oct. 1, 2020. The state of Kentucky is getting yet another Real ID extension after launching its pilot program in select counties for new drivers licenses and ID’s. This extension means you’ll be able […]
Swedes are getting implants in their hands to replace cash, credit cards
Thousands of people in Sweden are having futuristic microchips implanted into their skin to carry out everyday activities and replace credit cards and cash. More than 4,000 people have already had the sci-fi-ish chips, about the size of a grain of rice, inserted into their hands — with the pioneers predicting millions will soon join […]
FBI, ICE plunder DMV driver database ‘gold mine’ for facial recognition scans
The agencies are reportedly harvesting driver license imagery without citizen or lawmaker consent. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are exploiting state DMV records for facial recognition data without the knowledge or permission of drivers. Georgetown Law researchers, together with the Washington Post, have obtained facial recognition requests, documents, […]