As technology continues to deliver information at the tap of a screen, there appears to be increasing pressure from various governmental institutions to design and implement a uniform method of digital identification as well as the utilization of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs).
Governmental agencies, financial establishments, business enterprises, and the like often tout these supposed innovations as tools of efficiency and security.
However, beneath the virtual veneer lies a frightening reality.
Digital IDs and CBDCs pose a grave threat to personal privacy, economic autonomy, and individual freedom.
Case in point: Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer recently announced a plan to implement a national compulsory digital ID.
"You will not be able to work in the United Kingdom if you do not have digital ID. It's as simple as that," the prime minister and leader of the Labour Party stated.
The mandatory digital IDs are set to be fully rolled out by August 2029.
Interestingly, over 2.4 million Brits have already signed a petition on the UK Parliament's website, voicing their opposition to the digital ID policy.
Wise on the part of these Brits.
The digital IDs actually tie an individual’s identity to a government or corporate-managed database.
So what effect would this have?
Well, first of all the technology provides governmental agencies with unprecedented monitoring capabilities.
Additionally, with the assistance of AI, the technology also allows every single transaction, movement, and interaction to be tracked, stored, and analyzed.
Centralizing this type of personal data (including names, addresses, biometrics, and transaction histories) into a single digital profile causes "Big Brother" (think, George Orwell's "1984") to become a reality.
Digital IDs will be required for day-to-day activities, such as shopping, banking, or even browsing the web.
Data that are collected will create a digital footprint on each individual, which can be monitored, analyzed, and even weaponized, allowing government noses to be poked into every facet of a person's life.
China is already using digital IDs to monitor citizens and assign social credit scores, leading to the restriction of access to services and/or travel for those individuals deemed non-compliant.
In 2023, reports emerged indicating that Chinese citizens were being denied train tickets as a result of low social credit scores, a foreboding preview of the way digital ID technology can be weaponized to force compliance with government mandates.
History illustrates that centralized data systems can be manipulated to punish dissent or enforce conformity.
Digital IDs that are capable of monitoring every aspect of human life are destined to become instruments of tyrannical control.
When combined with CBDCs, the digital trajectory becomes supercharged.
The reality is CBDCs are fully traceable and programmable.
Central banks will have the ability to dictate how, when, and where each individual's money can be spent.
Currency itself will exist in a digital wallet, and purchases will be restricted based on the whims of government central planners.
The Bank of England and the Federal Reserve have discussed the embedding of programmable features within CBDCs, including alignment with state-approved priorities and assignment of expiration dates.
A 2021 Bank of International Settlements paper revealed that 86% of central banks are exploring CBDCs, with many designed to include such heavy-handed programmable features.
This means that purchases could be limited to government-approved goods and services.
It also means the money of individuals could literally be turned off or rendered valueless at the direction of government.
The fact of the matter is digital IDs and CBDCs work together to concentrate unprecedented control in the hands of governments and technocrats.
For those so inclined, the temptation to amass power is overwhelming.
During Canada’s 2022 trucker protests, bank accounts were frozen without due process, an ominous preview of what programmable currencies may potentially facilitate.
Anyone who truly values personal liberty needs to think long and hard about surrendering personal privacy and economic independence to systems that, once implemented, are nearly impossible to dismantle.
The risks about which our forbears warned, particularly with regard to the loss of economic sovereignty and self-determination, need to be examined in liberty's light.
May the unceasing pursuit of freedom define our future path.
James Hirsen, J.D., M.A., in media psychology, is a New York Times best-selling author, media analyst, and law professor. Visit Newsmax TV Hollywood. Read James Hirsen's Reports — More Here.