OP 03 October, 2019 - 11:31 PM
Sometimes some people point to theories that, over time, control/investigation will be introduced to protect people from terrorism and attacks. Of course "for our good".
Already now we are slowly descending towards a surveillance society - conversations, correspondence, (soon bank accounts) - everything is being monitored and we are slowly getting used to it that it is normal.
In China it is even worse: there are already programs in place to evaluate the behavior of the population and there will be punishments/awards for your attitude towards the authorities.
The theory that total surveillance / control will be imposed by force is completely wrong - it will be a process spread over time and introduced with the passivity of the masses. For example, you will have an implanted chip to the location so you will get to the doctor faster, you will have cheaper tests, insurance discounts, cheaper holidays, etc…
You could conduct an experiment and let's say
mandatory civil liability insurance for vehicles connected with the monitoring and control system, i.e. the insurer will have a full overview of the route of any vehicle moving and who is driving it (GPS) and the history of traffic offences + if you decide to install a camera in your vehicle, the discount on civil liability will be even greater. Of course, it will be completely voluntary, but people who decide to do so will get a discount and so the driver with full monitoring will get 70-80% discount. It will only be a matter of time before people treat the full monitoring as something normal. The infrastructure is already in place.
- cars full of computers and electronics over which the end user has no control at all
- 100% coverage of the territory with GSM network coverage
- 100% GPS/GLONAS coverage (Russians like to surveillance too)
It will only be a matter of time before type solutions are implemented:
- automatic issuing of mandates - automatic blocking of the vehicle if someone has not paid/does not have the right
- automatic engagement of the speed limiter
Microchipping is not yet popular, but gradually giving up cash in favor of electronic payment is the majority supports, because it is convenient. And it will eventually lead to the complete abolition of cash. There will be total control over us, and if someone expresses a different opinion - politically incorrect - it is a mishap and has penalised means of payment. Politicians , corporation CEOs and bankers only wait for physical cash to be abandoned, because then they will have unlimited
access to our money. When it comes to that, they as fast as it possible , will make a law that will give them an insight into all the citizen's accounts and transactions, the possibility of blocking the account for no reason for X hours/day, freezing funds, etc.. All penalties
and fines will be immediately deducted from the account (and only then appeal… if you have any reason to do so).
Even the elimination of corruption in this way among politicians will not work out - after their term of office they will get a well-paid position in
any non-governmental organization or in some corporation which was their "lobbyist sponsor in politics" will get a job as a for a really great money. Politicians have mastered the art of legally accepting bribes.
Lack of physical cash in circulation is state control over trade. If someone doesn't care about personal freedom, it's as if they don't care about freedom of speech, because they don't have anything to say. And will it be safer? I doubt that the biggest thefts in banks are carried out electronically, hackers steal billions, which is not officially mentioned, every security can be circumvented, the best way to see it is in cars with a non-keys system - such a theft is the easiest and the fastest if you have the appropriate equipment and knowledge. Let's remember, a thief has the first the latest security measures to dismantle them, hackers are always a step ahead of security companies.
For example, Swedish companies started to offer their employees subcutaneous chips on a massive scale. So far many thousands of people have taken advantage of this "opportunity". Such voluntary permission to install a tracking device based on trust in the authorities is pure naivety, not to say stupidity.
Looking at the prism of a smartphone, it is clear that such a chip will be a much greater threat. You can get your phone out of your pocket, hook it up with a PC and turn it upside down, and a chip like that? Surely an ordinary citizen will not have the right to edit, preview what is happening in their systems, let alone in any way "control" it. You can dream about such things, and about human rights and consents. I am sure that countries do not violate them, because in China, Russia and the USA there has never been a prisoner of torture or human rights violations, so they will be happy to listen to the opposition of the grey citizen… I am sure they will.
If it were to become almost fashionable and popular, it would rather be the individual who wants to be removed, will be the bad guy and the suspect who is trying to do something, because surely you are trying to do something, since you cut yourself off from "modernity" in this way.
It is also worth mentioning what is happening in Italy. Specifically, the algorithms that check the records of debit cards and bank accounts on their basis, assessing whether someone pays taxes or not. Italy is a member of the infamous group of PIIGS countries (Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece, Spain), i.e. countries with huge debts. For the record, Italy's debt currently accounts for 132% of its GDP. In However, the Italian Government is aware that the cash flow will eventually rise and is looking for money in the pockets of the people. We currently have 43% personal income tax in Italy. A further increase in the rates is planned. No wonder the Italians are doing their best to avoid tax. Who in their right mind will agree to give up almost half of their earnings? If we add to this the "premiums" of insurance, social insurance, etc., which in practice is another form of tribute, we will find that the average Italian for most of the year has to work on the
state apparatus. No wonder that Italians avoid taxes as much as they can. In Italy there was already a program in place that counted on the financial possibilities of Italians. Now a project of the programme is being implemented which will count their "savings", namely their ability to save money. In practice, the algorithm will be linked to every financial product of a citizen or resident. A special economic model will calculate the saving potential taking into account the statistical model for single/pair/family, etc. The algorithm will be linked to each financial product of a given citizen or resident. The model will compare tax returns, living standards and savings from the automaton.
For algorithms the matter is simple:
if you spend too much = you avoid taxes,
if you save too much = avoid taxes.
If your standard of living is more expensive than how much you earn or how much you save, the tax office will turn to you for explanations. The principle of the presumption of innocence has been completely forgotten. In other words, the algorithm considers us guilty and we have to prove that this is not the case. The system also checks how often we use the account. If too rarely it means that we use too much cash, that is… we evade paying taxes. fact, Italy has not gone bankrupt so far just because its bonds were bought by the European Central Bank for the hastily printed euro. It is ironic that it is, in fact, the Italian Government that is spending more than it earns and is burdening its own voters with the consequences of its mindless policy.
I think it's a matter of time before they start introducing similar profiling solutions in other countries, no authority can resist.
access to such data and its benefits. This data is attractive for everyone: own government, foreign governments, corporations, offices,
services . Now you need to weld it with the SI capabilities in character profiling in order to manage masses on a large scale, for this chip in hand and
all of a sudden, the whole society is in the palm of your hand. There is no way to properly secure such data. The citizen does not fit, so they will reset his account.
or cut off access to places, services or products. The possibilities for abuse are practically unlimited. Each authority wants to control its own nation in some way.
It does not matter whether it is communism, capitalism or whatever else.
The question is how far it will go. Despite that there are still people who will always say that "New World Order is an invention of truthers" .
Seriously I am afraid that this world is going in the wrong direction.