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***WATCHMAN COMMENT... Though not the CHIP or the MARK of the beast - This will leed the world to accepting 666 - The mark of the World Beast system

Contactless payments expected to show dramatic growth in 2006

The takeoff of contactless payments has been dramatic. In fact, as of December 2005, there were more than 4.3 million MasterCard PayPass cards and fobs in market and approximately 25,000 merchants accepting PayPass.

One of the keys to the success of contactless payments is that it benefits everyone in the payments value chain – merchants, financial institutions and consumers alike. Merchants benefit from the faster throughput that contactless payments allow, speeding up lines and freeing their staff to focus on more than just payments. For financial institutions, contactless payments help grow their businesses as more acceptance locations are opened up to non-cash purchases, and their card holders continue to rely less on cash, finding that electronic payments offer better record-keeping and flexibility.

As we look to 2006, we expect to see the adoption and appeal of contactless payments grow considerably in the U.S. marketplace. As more consumers become comfortable with “tap and go” payments, they will show preferences for those merchants that allow them to speed through check-out with a tap. This shift in their shopping patterns will encourage broader acceptance by more and more national, regional and even local merchants.

New developments will arise, such as the issuance of non-card form factors. Citibank, for example, has already announced the rollout of its contactless debit key fobs in the U.S. MasterCard also continues to work closely with handset manufacturers to pilot the use of mobile phones as contactless payment devices. We have made great progress with the technology involved. At the outset of our mobile phone trials, PayPass functionality was only possible through an add-on in the phone cover. We have now integrated PayPass technology into the actual phone itself.

As more cards and devices are enabled with contactless payments technology, consumers will find they have additional choices about how they will pay for their everyday purchases. Not only will they be able to use contactless payments to tap through check-out at their favorite convenience store, but they will soon be able to tap a vending machine to purchase snack items, rather than being limited to the change they have on hand.

In 2006, contactless payments are also expected to gain greater momentum in various global markets, including Europe and Asia. MasterCard currently has a number of PayPass-related projects underway in various countries around the world. For example, in Taiwan, MasterCard is working with the Kaohsiung City Transportation Bureau and others to make public transportation tap and go a possibility. And, in Canada, Citi Cards Canada and Petro-Canada, one of Canada’s largest oil and gas companies, are teaming up to launch PayPass.

It was just this year, 2005, that contactless payments expanded from a series of regional trials to a broader more nationwide adoption of a new way to pay for everyday purchases. In the last year, we saw Chase, Citibank, HSBC, Keybank, GE Consumer Finance and MBNA begin to issue MasterCard PayPass enhanced credit cards, debit cards and key fobs. Major merchants also announced plans to accept MasterCard PayPass, including McDonald’s, CVS, Duane Reade, 7-11, WaWa, Sheetz, Regal Entertainment Group, Ritz Camera Centers and Boater’s World Marine Centers, as well as the NFL stadium homes of the New York Giants and Jets, Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens.

Since contactless payments offer consumers a fast, convenient and secure alternative to cash, their purchases are no longer limited to the cash in their wallet--a win for them and for merchants. This is a welcome option for consumers, as they have increasingly shown a preference for electronic transactions over cash

A recent MasterCard survey revealed that as a method of payment, cash is becoming considerably less popular. In fact, 60% of respondents had only $20 or less in cash on-hand – representing an 11% jump as compared to a similar survey conducted in September, 2003. Sixty five percent of respondents said they would be likely to use a contactless card instead of cash for everyday purchases, citing convenience, speed and security as the primary benefits of contactless payments.

At MasterCard, we understand that the revolution of contactless payments has only just begun, and that we need to continue working with financial institutions, merchants and the vendor community to ensure that contactless payments continue to help us all grow our businesses, while providing consumers with faster and more convenient ways to pay for their everyday purchases.

Hospital to Test ID Chip in Patients 

[WATCHMAN... I warned this was coming!!!]

A controversial device that can store security information and is the size of a grain of rice will make its way into the right arms of some 50 volunteering Arrowhead Regional Medical Center patients.

But, its purpose here won't be to provide bank account or e-mail passwords to the Colton hospital's staff.

The VeriMed microchip system will be used to store valuable information such as type of allergies and current medication so physicians can determine the safest treatment in the event someone is unconscious or unable to speak.

On Tuesday, the county Board of Supervisors approved the hospital's request to take part in a pilot program with the microchip's maker, VeriChip Corporation, for four months.

The hospital will receive 50 of the devices and, on a voluntary basis, will implant them into its patients.

Dr. Dev GnanaDev, Arrowhead Regional medical director, said the program is part of the hospital's push to get appropriate care to those with chronic ailments such as cardiovascular disease or diabetes.

Arrowhead Regional's emergency room is often occupied by patients with a chronic disorder who can't effectively communicate their medical needs.

For example, GnanaDev said a diabetic might enter the hospital in a coma, but ER staff might not associate the two because they don't have access to medical records that quickly.

"In a situation like that, just a few more minutes might make a difference," he said.

With the Board's approval, Arrowhead Regional becomes the seventh hospital in the country and the first in California to agree to pilot the microchip.

Depending on the time it takes to get up and running, Arrowhead Regional's program could become just the second to go online, said John Procter, a spokesman for VeriChip Corporation.

Currently, Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey is the only hospital nationwide where the device is in use.

The microchip was approved by the Federal Food and Drug Administration last year for medical purposes. However, because it can be used to store other, more private information, Supervisor Gary Ovitt said he is opposed to the hospital's proposal to pilot it.

The 4th District supervisor said, philosophically, he's not opposed to implanting medical devices such as pacemakers. However, he didn't see the need for implanting a device in someone with identifying information.

"It's kind of a privacy issue," he said.

Bill Postmus, chairman of the board, also cast a dissenting vote.

GnanaDev said he understood Ovitt's position and those of privacy rights advocates.

"Our answer to that is that we're not identifying anyone; we're not tracking anyone; we're just giving them a number that links them to their medical records," he said.

VeriChip is a subdermal [WATCHMAN... means under the SKIN!] radio frequency microchip that, once inserted under the skin in a brief outpatient procedure, can not be seen by the human eye. Each chip contains a unique 16-digit verification number that is captured by passing a scanner over the insertion site.

The 16-digit number links to a database via encrypted Internet access. That stored information is then conveyed via the Internet to the requesting healthcare provider.

A similar device has been used as a location aid in pets for about 15 years.

For the pilot, Arrowhead Regional will receive 50 devices at no cost, as well as the scanning device.

If there is interest in more chips, the hospital would enter into a separate agreement with VeriChip Corporation to purchase them, pending approval from the Board of Supervisors.

***WATCHMAN COMMENT... Not a CHIP but it is leading up to one!!!...

NCR To Offer Retail Biometric System Globally

Finger scan-based biometric services, now in service by NCR (National Cash Register) and its Pay By Touch partner in some grocery stores in the Midwest, will be offered globally, according to an announcement from the two firms this week.

The services use Pay By Touch's authentication and payment service and NCR's biometric point of sale (POS) solutions to enable shoppers to pay for services and retail goods with a simple finger scan.

The partnership also calls for self-service kiosk solutions to be established. "The kiosks increase convenience for shoppers to enroll, activate, and maintain their Pay By Touch electronic wallets," the firms' announcement stated. "Pay By Touch will offer kiosks to its customers under a reseller agreement with NCR. The kiosks are currently being installed by a top-ten U.S. supermarket chain."

Shoppers can activate an account at the kiosks or online after they provide personal financial records. The firms said the system is secure because of the uniqueness of the finger scans. In addition, data is encrypted and securely stored in data centers.

Pay By Touch said the system is scheduled to be launched in more national and international chains before the year is over.

Hold off on that chip, says Thompson

When former Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson joined the board of directors of a company promoting the broad implantation of microchips into Americans for identification purposes, he pledged to get chipped himself as an example.

But Thompson doesn't appear to be in any hurry to get the implant.

Last July, Thompson, who now sits on the board of VeriChip Corp., the leading manufacturer and promoter of the technology, encouraged Americans to get chipped so their electronic medical records would be available in emergencies.

"It's very beneficial and it's going to be extremely helpful and it's a giant step forward to getting what we call an electronic medical record for all Americans," he told CBS MarketWatch.

When asked later by a CNBC reporter if he would take the chip himself as an example for Americans, he replied: "Absolutely, without a doubt."

But when authors Liz McIntyre and Katherine Albrecht, who researched human chipping for their book "Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track Your Every Move with RFID," contacted VeriChip Corp. earlier this month, they were told that the chipping never took place.

VeriChip spokesman John Procter said Thompson has been "too busy" to undergo the chipping procedure, adding that he had no clear plans to do so in the future. "I wouldn't put any type of time line on it," Procter said.

The VeriChip spokesman also attributed the protracted delay in the chipping to Thompson's desire to investigate the procedure, according to the authors.

"He wants to see it [the VeriChip] in a real-world environment first," said Procter, who said he's trying to arrange a tour for Thompson at Hackensack University Medical Center, the first hospital to implement the technology in its emergency room.

But the authors question this explanation.

"We would expect Mr. Thompson to investigate the device before advocating it to others," said McIntyre. "It sounds like he has wisely decided to put off the implantation, perhaps due to the serious privacy and civil liberties implications of such devices, or perhaps due to the serious medical downsides, like electrical risks and MRI incompatibility."

Thompson may find himself under increasing pressure to get chipped in light of VeriChip Corporation's recent IPO announcement. The company is relying on Thompson's cooperation to give the much maligned human tracking chip an image boost.

"He said it on live television," said Procter of Thompson's chipping intentions. "We look forward to setting a firm date in accordance to his schedule and other commitments. ... We want to maximize the impact of [Thompson's chipping] event. ... We'd certainly like to ... really knock it out of the park."

McIntyre is hoping that Thompson will resist the pressure.

"Our concern is that the VeriChip Company would like to chip every person on the planet, and they're counting on Thompson to be their ticket to mass acceptance," said McIntyre. "We're hoping he will work for the best interests of humanity and refuse to be goaded into an ill advised action."

According to Procter, only about 60 living persons in the U.S. have agreed to be chipped. In addition to the voluntary recipients, the company's implants were injected into the deceased victims of hurricane Katrina, and there are plans to chip mentally disabled patients at a residential center in Chattanooga. VeriChip has also had talks with the Pentagon about chipping military personnel, though Procter said that "no formal agreements have been reached."

The VeriChip is a glass-encapsulated RFID device designed to be injected into human flesh for identification purposes and for use as a payment device.

Two hospitals – Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston – currently are equipped to scan the chips, Silverman said.

Thompson predicted that people eventually will overcome their skepticism about having a chip implanted. The chip "will prevent babies from being picked up by the wrong people in a maternity ward and make sure people in nursing homes don't walk away," he said.

Posted December 9, 2005 ---------------------------

Will that be cash, credit or finger?

In need of toothpaste and ice, Laura Wadsworth dashed into a supermarket Monday in Mount Pleasant, S.C. She didn't bring her wallet. Wadsworth paid by touching her index finger to a scanner. Ten seconds later, she was out the door.

A week before, Denise Day, a self-described "gas-station junkie," grabbed a vanilla cappuccino and gum at a 7-Eleven in Denver. She paid in seconds by waving her Chase "Blink" contactless card in front of a reader, which lit up and beeped to tell her the transaction was done. "It's definitely saved me a bit of time," Day says. "I think it's pretty cool."

These new technologies, being rolled out at convenience stores, supermarkets and gas stations, could some day make it passe to carry bulky wallets. Without the need to dig for cash and checks at the register, the quick stop-and-go payments promise speedier transactions for consumers — and perhaps fatter profits for retailers.

They're yet another step in society's evolution from paper to electronic payments. In 2003, electronic payments such as credit and debit cards overtook cash and checks as the most common way to pay for purchases, the American Bankers Association reported.

No one knows, though, if these technologies will revolutionize the payment system, as magnetic stripes on credit cards did three decades ago. Skeptics wonder if security concerns will scare away most Americans.

After all, if the new payment methods make it easier for consumers to pay, couldn't they make it easier for crooks, too? What happens if your personal information gets into the wrong hands?

"There are a lot of obstacles because there are standards that have not been resolved" and because of security concerns among consumers, says Gale Daikoku, research director for Gartner's retail division. In an October report, she noted that the "hype" surrounding the finger-pay and contactless systems "far exceeds the level of customer interest."

So far, banks have issued 3.5 million debit and credit cards to consumers to wave in front of scanners and pay at retailers such as McDonald's, 7-Eleven and CVS drugstores. It's unclear, though, how many people are using the cards.

The appeal is that there's no need to run them through a machine. And no signing for purchases less than $25. By the end of 2006, banks will issue 25 million contactless debit and credit cards, according to the Nilson Report, which tracks the card industry. That's one for about every nine adults in the USA.

The pay-by-finger system is already being used in hundreds of U.S. supermarkets, including Albertsons and Piggly Wiggly. It relies on fingerprinting, a biometrics technology that identifies people by physical traits. Your finger is scanned and linked to your payment information. At the register, you touch your finger to the reader, enter your phone number and select bank account or credit card. No cash or checks or credit cards to carry.

Ann Edwards of Coon Rapids, Minn., was one of the first to sign up for the pay-by-finger method at a Cub Foods supermarket last spring. Now, she uses it about once a week, because she thinks it's "safe, easy and convenient."

"A lot of it is how you were approached about it," Edwards says. "They were very positive about it, so I felt like I could get on their bandwagon, too."

Pay By Touch, a provider of the finger-touch technology, says it's signed up hundreds of stores in large grocery chains. It doesn't disclose customer enrollment rates. But at a typical Piggly Wiggly, an average of 30% to 40% of customers enroll, and they tend to shop more often and spend more each time, says Rita Postell of Piggly Wiggly Carolina Co., which has put the technology in all 83 company-owned stores.

A competitor, BioPay, has signed up 2.1 million consumers at 1,600 retail locations for its pay-by-finger technology and paycheck-cashing services combined. Pay-by-finger transactions are twice as fast as a cash payment, three times as fast as a credit card and four times as fast as a check, BioPay estimates.

Wadsworth, 41, isn't much concerned about security lapses. "How it was explained to me is basically it's not that you're having a fingerprint done" when you pay at the cash register, she says. "It's a bunch of little dots that the computer recognizes, so it's not like someone could pull it and have your actual fingerprint. That made me very comfortable."

Pay By Touch takes fingerprints when customers enroll in the program. The image is then converted to about 40 unique points of the finger. Those points are stored in a computer system with "military-level encryption," says John Morris, president of Pay By Touch. The fingerprint itself is discarded.

When customers touch the scanner, it recognizes the finger's points. A fraudster couldn't reverse-engineer those unique points back into a fingerprint, according to Morris, and it would be all but impossible to match the points of the finger to their owner.

BioPay also converts the finger's image into points that are recognized when consumers pay with their fingers. But unlike Pay By Touch, BioPay keeps the fingerprints themselves — at a database at its Herndon, Va., headquarters — so retailers won't have to re-enroll customers if the payment technology changes, says Donita Prakash, vice president of marketing at BioPay.

If an impostor joined the service using your payment information, authorities could use the offender's fingerprint to track him or her down, Prakash notes.

Yet that's exactly what concerns Pam Dixon, executive director of the World Privacy Forum. She fears that biometrics databases could become "a honey pot" for law-enforcement subpoenas that could violate consumers' privacy. She also worries that the systems are being rolled out with little public understanding of the security risks, Dixon says.

"Eventually, there's going to be a database breach," she says. "These companies are not immune" to the security lapses that have hit companies such as CardSystems (now being acquired by Pay By Touch) and LexisNexis.

As fingerprints are increasingly used to identify consumers, fraudsters will have more opportunities to misuse this information. The Homeland Security Department is weighing whether to make fingerprints or iris scans part of state-issued identification cards for travelers and people collecting federal benefits.

The use of biometrics technology, along with PIN numbers and passwords, makes it hard to steal someone's identity, security experts say. Still, no system is foolproof. How safe the information is depends on how companies gather and maintain it, says Anil Jain, a Michigan State University computer science professor.

Some think the pay-by-finger system won't catch on as quickly as its rival technology, contactless credit cards. The two systems are fighting each other for acceptance. "It's going to be bloody, because all of the solutions are competing for the attention and resources of the merchants," says Gwenn Bezard, research director for Aite Group.

Contactless cards have an advantage, says David Robertson, publisher of the Nilson Report. That's because banks can usually just mail contactless cards to their existing customers; the finger-pay system requires enrollment.

******The cards are advanced, general-use versions of the Speedpass device ExxonMobil introduced in the late 1990s. Speedpass lets customers pay for gas with a tap of a keychain wand. ***The microchip in the card passes information to the electronic reader through radio-frequency waves.

Employee ID cards and card-sized toll boxes that stick on car windshields use similar technology to open office doors and let drivers whiz through toll booths. Increasingly, this technology is migrating to credit and debit cards as banks and retailers try to nudge consumers away from paying for small purchases with cash, which can be time-consuming, according to Francois Lasnier, a vice president at Axalto, which provides this technology.

"They want this to be your cash replacement," Lasnier says. Because of the time savings, "I think that a lot of customers who are paying cash will find it more convenient now to use these cards."

Some retailers no longer require signatures for small purchases. Still, a contactless payment is twice as fast as a no-signature credit card purchase and three times as fast as using cash, according to the Smart Card Alliance. That's why it's catching on at fast-food restaurants and convenience stores. These stores' profits depend, in part, on how quickly they get customers — typically with small purchases — through the line.

"Our stores are all about speed, and our customers tell us all the time how busy they are," says Bob Riesenbach, manager of new initiatives at Wawa, a chainthat's put the technology in 540 convenience stores in five East Coast states. Doing purchases this way "means we don't have to spend a few seconds getting change" for the customer.

A contactless-card transaction is usually more expensive for a retailer to process than a cash payment. But retailers that adopt contactless payments hope they'll bring in more customers, offsetting higher costs. If that turns out to be false, then some could turn their backs on the new technology.

Security remains an overarching concern. If the cards make it easier for consumers to pay for purchases, it could do the same for fraudsters. Visa, MasterCard and American Express say that, as with other credit card payments, consumers aren't liable for fraudulent transactions.

******And nothing is on the microchip that isn't on the credit card itself. The data is also encrypted. So it'll be hard for fraudsters to access it just by being near someone waving the card.

Retailers must get a signature for Visa and MasterCard contactless payments of $25 or more. American Express doesn't require a signature for any contactless transaction, though some retailers may prefer to get one, says David Bonalle, a company vice president.

The idea of not signing for big-ticket transactions unnerves Jay Klauminzer, an American Express credit card holder in Cleveland.

"I'd want someone to verify that it's me" for purchases of $100 or more, says Klauminzer, a 26-year-old management consultant. "I've dealt with identity theft in the past. Everybody says there's zero liability," but victims still must spend time clearing up their credit records.

Spokeswoman Rosa Alfonso says American Express "is constantly monitoring for fraud."

*****Besides waving your credit card and paying with your finger, you may eventually be able to pay with your cellphone or BlackBerry. Using radio frequencies to transmit payment information, "We have really opened the door for a range of payment opportunities," says Niki Manby, a vice president at Visa USA.

In a society driven by convenience, anything that speeds the payment process attracts consumers, says Curtis Arnold of CardRatings.com, a card-information site. But technology providers will need to convince consumers of the safety of their information before the technologies can become a staple in the checkout line.

"The contactless technology has promise, but it has risk," Dixon says. "The biometric payment technology is efficient but poses fairly pronounced degrees of risk. I don't think those risks have been adequately addressed for consumers yet."

Posted December 5, 2005 ---------------------------

***WATCHMAN COMMENT... NO it isn't chipping - YET!!!...

School Libraries Prepare Children For Biometric Scanning

The library card is history at Chesterfield Academy of Math, Science and Technology. In its place: your finger.

The school's media center is using a biometrics scanning system, a technology that recognizes people through identifiers such as fingerprints and eye scans. The system was launched this fall.

Schools have used the technology to monitor students getting on buses, to identify parents picking up their children, to take attendance and to pay for meals in the cafeteria. Some grocery stores have started using fingertip-recognition devices in checkout lines.

Chesterfield's principal said he wanted it because his school focuses on technology.

"We should have the latest technology that's available," Sterling A. White Jr. said.

With the scanner, which cost $995, a semi-conductor measures the positive and negative impulses that comprise the ridges and swirls of the child's fingerprint, said Bob Engen, president of Educational Biometrics Technology. The computer program then converts the measurements to a set of numbers that are listed in a database with the child's name.

Students checking out library materials press their fingers to a pad, and the measurements of their fingerprints are matched to the database.

Images of the fingerprints aren't stored, Engen said, and at this time, there is no software that would allow someone to use the database to identify an existing fingerprint.

Attempting to re-create the fingerprints would be like trying to rewrite the page of a novel, knowing only the first letter of each word, Engen said.

"You're not looking at numbers," Engen said. "You're not looking at things that can be lost, stolen or reproduced."

Nonetheless, privacy watchdog groups caution against allowing such information to be collected, saying it is hard to predict how it could be used in the future.

In Iowa, schools recently were forced to stop using a biometrics system because of a state law that forbids government entities from fingerprinting children.

"That's another piece of personal identification information that these young people no longer have control of," said Lillie Coney, associate director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center.

White sent permission letters announcing the program to the parents of his 580 students. Three parents opted out, he said.

Kenneth Vaughan, 28, said he initially had reservations about allowing his pre-kindergarten daughter to participate. He changed his mind after learning that images of the prints weren't stored.

"Technology is going to be shifting toward fingerprints," Vaughan, a Chesterfield math resource teacher, said. "They need this exposure now."

White said he hopes to install a biometrics system in the cafeteria at some point.

TiVo Inc. has filed a patent application to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office earlier this month that suggests company inventors believe radio frequency identification (RFID) technology will become inserted into clothing, jewelry, key chains, and even under the skin in the body.

Whether TiVo actually decides to build in the feature, the patent is for a personal video recorder (PVR) that recognizes viewer preferences through an RFID chip embedded in clothing, jewelry or "inserted somewhere in the user's body."

The multimedia mobile personalization system would have a remote control that recognizes the viewer's RFID tag closest to the PVR. The remote control identifies and notifies the multimedia device through the RFID chip in the person's clothing or body to tailor the media content to their preferences.

The remote control device would identify and link the viewer to the system using an "RFID tag that is attached to a key ring, necklace, watch, in his wallet, or even a sub dermal tag inserted somewhere in the user's body." The remote control would detect the RFID tag in a limited radius so it wouldn't get confused by signals from others, the patent said.

Either broadcast or recorded television programs and music play lists stored on a local hard drive could be sorted, displayed or restricted, depending on the user identifier. Other methods of identifying the user are stated, too, such as computer vision recognition, biometric identification, and voice analysis.

***WATCHMAN COMMENT.... MY-MY-MY And so many have laughed at me for years as I have warned this was coming - ARE YOU LAUGHING NOW???

REVELATION 13:16-18 "And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six."

Senate urges technology use for portable medical records

CAPITOL HILL _ The Senate likes the idea of carrying your medical records on a key chain.

The chamber has passed a bill that encourages the Health and Human Services Department to find ways to improve the information technology used in health care.

Under the bill, hospitals and other health care providers could apply for grants to create new technologies. Such technology might create a universal way to carry records on a key chain.

Republican Senator Mike Enzi of Wyoming says advanced technology would mean no more patients filling out that clipboard about your health whenever you visit a new doctor.

Privacy advocates are concerned that the bill doesn't include enough privacy protections.

***WATCHMAN COMMENT... Of more and greater concern is that this system will eventually lead to "INSERTING" the chip under the skin "so it can't be lost"! This technology is already possible and being used on humans...

REVELATION 13:16 & 17 "And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."

IBM calls for global identity management solution

International standards backed up by a UN body are needed to clear up the international identity-verification mess, according to a senior IBM Global Services executive

The growing need for fast, accurate verification of personal identities has prompted a call from an industry observer for a global agency to set international standards.

The realm of identity and access management (IAM) is heating up as nations like the UK and the US increase their use of biometrics and other identifying technology in ID cards, border controls and other areas.

Beyond different governments "trying to create a mosaic for what they want as good identity management", wider international cooperation is needed to establish a common language and standards, said Cal Slemp, vice-president and global leader for security and privacy services at IBM Global Services. The common language for exchanging user access information is also known as federated IAM.

"Governments have a huge part to play in this, because they have ultimate responsibility for their citizens, and depending on the country, they may have ultimate responsibility for the businesses and e-commerce as well," Slemp said.

But, current efforts are piecemeal and much more can be done to exploit the potential of the federated environment, added Slemp. During a medical emergency, for instance, the identities of a foreign doctor and a visiting patient need to be established quickly and accurately, in order for the right healthcare to be administered.

What's missing right now, he noted, is a trusted third party to authenticate trustworthiness. "So we've got inconsistent and incomplete implementation in individual countries, and also no standard approach to the future nor a target to shoot at."

Slemp believes that now is the right time to establish a global body that will consider the interests of all countries and build up a foundation, which the individual countries can expand upon to fulfil their unique requirements.

"There are organisations that work together on this issue and issues like that across borders all the time, and it can be as grandiose as to say the UN has a process in place to share information like that and create working groups to try and to create standards or expectations and across multiple jurisdictions," said Slemp. "I just don't know what the name would be."

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REVELATION 13:16 & 17 "And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."

Microchip Implant Stirs Ethics Debate

Medical ethics experts are questioning a proposal to implant medical identification microchips in the arms of developmentally disabled clients at Orange Grove Center.

"That's pretty disturbing and kind of surprising in that anyone would allow that to occur," said Dr. Stuart Finder, a director at the Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

"Typically, the idea of using vulnerable people -- children, disabled people, pregnant women, prisoners, a whole variety of categories -- we normally say that's not a good idea," Dr. Finder said.

Dr. Rick Rader, director of the Morton J. Kent Habilitation Center at Orange Grove Center, is advocating cooperation in a study with the maker of the VeriMed implantable device. He arranged meetings Thursday and today for one of the company's physicians with leaders at Orange Grove and Erlanger hospital.

Dr. Rader said VeriChip Corp., the Delray Beach, Fla., company that manufactures the device, has agreed to provide free implants for as many as 100 Orange Grove clients. The clients would be the subjects in the first group study of the application of the device, which normally costs $200, he said.

Dr. Rader and other Orange Grove medical committee members said they thought the implants were a good idea. They said they would have to proceed with care and discuss ethical questions that arise.

The VeriMed device works in much the same way as implantable identification tags for pets, Dr. Richard Seelig, VeriChip vice president for medical applications, said.

He said implantable devices have been used for millions of animals over the past 13 years. The implants for human beings were approved by the Federal Drug Administration in October 2004, he said.

Dr. Seelig told Erlanger and Orange Grove officials Thursday that the implants could keep disabled people safe in case they are lost or injured and cannot identify themselves to emergency workers or doctors.

"What we're trying to do is level the playing field," he said. "If you and I can give this information, why can't they?"

Carol Westlake, executive director of the Tennessee Disability Coalition, said the idea of implants is "troubling."

"The history of abuse of people with mental retardation requires us to be extraordinarily cautious that we don't let those things happen again," she said.

Ms. Westlake and Dr. Finder said it would be less problematic to do a group study of adults who are able to give unambiguous informed consent.

However, Dr. Rader said that not using the implants to benefit and protect the disabled would be a disservice to his clients, would deny their personhood and abridge their right to participate in society.

"The advocates would be on my case if we weren't doing this," he said.

Dr. Seelig said the plan would require participation of area medical facilities, whose personnel would require training to scan for the chips and find medical information once a patient's identification number is found.

He said VeriChip would provide equipment and training to hospitals and other medical facilities at no cost.

Dr. Seelig spoke to Erlanger physicians at the hospital Thursday morning, but none of the physicians there asked about potential ethical implications in using the microchips in vulnerable populations.

              THE END TIMES - THE LAST DAYS - ARE UPON THE EARTH!

MATTHEW 24:21 "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." --- CLICK HERE to see what it will be like for the unsaved and for a prayer of salvation!

           THIS IS NO GAME! - THIS IS THE REAL THING! - DO NOT WAIT!

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***WATCHMAN COMMENT... I know there is no chip here but once established will this cashless way of paying bring about the chipping OR the mark - 666?...

Changing the way the world pays

Imagine buying groceries by scanning your index finger. No cash, checks or credit cards required.

It may sound like science fiction, but systems that use biometric technology to identify people using their fingerprints have already debuted in major grocery stores across the country, including Albertsons, Kroger Foods, Lowes Foods and Piggly Wiggly.

The pay-by-finger touch system works by storing a consumer's finger images and personal financial information in a retail outlet's database. Shoppers can tap into that information on a touch pad when they make a purchase. A computer recognizes their finger image, automatically charges their account, and the transaction is complete.

"We are changing the way the world pays," said John Rogers, founder and chief executive officer of San Francisco-based Pay By Touch.

Grocery stores are only the beginning, he said. Rogers hopes that Pay By Touch will be used in more than 10,000 locations -- hotels, gas stations, fast food restaurants, health care facilities and sports stadiums -- by the end of 2006.

"The opportunities," Rogers said, "are boundless."

***WATCHMAN COMMENT... Yes they sure are...

REVELATION 13:16 & 17 "And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."

Biochips for Everyone!

If someone proposed injecting a computer chip in your arm and said it could save your life, would you do it? As Orwellian as it sounds, VeriChip is betting this will be a billion-dollar business.

The firm's parent company, Applied Digital Solutions, won FDA approval last year for what it bills as the "world's first human implantable microchip."

A radio-frequency identification (RFID) transponder the size of a grain of rice, the VeriChip contains a 16- digit personal ID number that can be scanned like a bar code, providing health-care workers access to your medical records online.

That could be lifesaving in an emergency, cutting the likelihood of medical errors for accident victims, Alzheimer's patients--anyone who can't communicate or lacks ID. So far, only about 60 Americans have been chipped, mainly Applied Digital employees in Delray Beach, Fla.

But the company says 58 hospitals are adopting the technology, a number it expects will expand to 200 by 2007.

Dr. John Halamka, chief information officer of Harvard Medical School, got chipped last year and says he hasn't experienced negative side effects. He acknowledges that colleagues find the chip dehumanizing.

Security experts are worried that the system can be hacked. And there are concerns that chips could one day be used to monitor the movement of those with implants. And the chip isn't cheap: the suggested retail price is $200 and isn't covered by insurance.

Applied also sees an opportunity in the security business. It has shipped 7,000 chips worldwide and figures about 2,000 have been implanted.

Applied CEO Scott Silverman hopes to sell chips to the Pentagon, the CIA and the FBI--feeding into X-Files-type fears of bio-chipped government agents lording over the citizenry.

A novel use: Baja Beach Club, a European nightclub chain, is offering "VipChip membership" to speed patrons through the ropes in Barcelona and Rotterdam. Some 430 club goers have signed on--at $1,300 apiece.

REVELATION 13:16 & 17 "And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."

An Easy Sales System or Mark of the Beast?

Katherine Albrecht and Liz McIntyre waste no time informing readers about who the bad guys are in "Spychips."

Their book, which briefly cracked Amazon.com's best-seller list for nonfiction when it was published a month ago, is subtitled "How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track Your Every Move With RFID."

Radio frequency identification, or RFID, is used mainly to track goods and is employed in payment systems like E-ZPass toll tags for cars, although some have been implanted into humans.

The "Spychips" authors suggest that a real spiritual threat is presaged in those implants: RFID may evolve into the "mark of the beast" referred to in the Book of Revelation.

That Satanic vision of RFID's potential is confined to a highlighted box toward the end of the 270-page "Spychips," which was published by Thomas Nelson.

But Ms. Albrecht has previously made it clear in interviews, videotapes and DVD's sold through religious Web sites that the Biblical warning that "no man might buy or sell, save that he had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of the beast" looms large in her attack on RFID.

"We're both Christian and it's in the Bible," said Ms. McIntyre, when asked if she shared her co-author's concerns.

Convincing Christians that radio tags are a glide path toward the end of days may be a stiff challenge. For example, the Bible specifies that the mark of the beast will appear in the right hand or forehead, both impractical sites for human implants, according to tag vendors like Applied Digital.

And as the authors concede in "Spychips," the Bible says the mark is 666 and "we're not sure how the 666 part fits in."

***WATCHMAN COMMENT... Well I do and "SIMPLE IT IS"! The three six's only need to be imbedded in the chips code - AND - not necessarily next to each other! The code just needs to contain three six's!...

REVELATION 13:16 & 17 "And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."

USA Passports to get RFID chip implants

Sweeping new State Department regulations issued say that passports issued after October 2006 will have tiny radio frequency ID (RFID) chips that can transmit personal information including the name, nationality, sex, date of birth, place of birth and digitized photograph of the passport holder. Eventually, the government contemplates adding additional digitized data such as "fingerprints or iris scans."

Over the last year, opposition to the idea of implanting RFID chips in passports has grown amidst worries that identity thieves could snatch personal information out of the air simply by aiming a high-powered antenna at a person or a vehicle carrying a passport. Out of the 2,335 comments on the plan that were received by the State Department this year, 98.5 percent were negative. The objections mostly focused on security and privacy concerns.

But the Bush administration chose to go ahead with embedding 64KB chips in future passports, citing a desire to abide by "globally interoperable" standards devised by the International Civil Aviation Organization, a United Nations agency. Other nations, including the United Kingdom and Germany, have announced similar plans.

In regulations published Tuesday, the State Department claims it has addressed privacy concerns. The chipped passports "will not permit 'tracking' of individuals," the department said. "It will only permit governmental authorities to know that an individual has arrived at a port of entry--which governmental authorities already know from presentation of non-electronic passports--with greater assurance that the person who presents the passport is the legitimate holder of the passport."

To address Americans' concerns about ID theft, the Bush administration said the new passports will be outfitted with "antiskimming material" in the front cover to "mitigate" the threat of the information being surreptitiously scanned from afar. It's not clear, though, how well the technique will work against high-powered readers that have been demonstrated to read RFID chips from about 160 feet away.

***WATCHMAN COMMENT... First the told you they could only be read from one or two feet, then it was 15-30 feet and I said it was much likely MORE than that, NOW they say they can read the chips at 160 feet, AND I SAY "It is probably further - MUCH FURTHER!!!...

"The shielding in the passport is a physical device that basically, when the passport cover is closed, it's very difficult to read the chip," a State Department official, who did not wish to be identified by name, said Tuesday. The official was unable to provide details about the material's composition. The National Institute of Standards and Technology, which has been working to evaluate the chip's vulnerability to skimming, was unable to provide further information on Tuesday.

Privacy advocates said that the anti-skimming device was a decent start. But if the cover of the passport happens to be open, all bets are off, said Bill Scannell, a privacy advocate who founded the site RFIDkills.com. "They've built little baby radio stations into peoples' passports and covered it with concrete," he said, "but when the little hatch is open, you can still hear the music."

"It's better than nothing," Scannell went on, "but why take this risk?"

In addition, the passports will use "Basic Access Control," a reference to storing a pair of secret cryptographic keys in the chip inside. The concept is simple: The RFID chip disgorges its contents only after a reader successfully authenticates itself as being authorized to receive that information.

Computer scientists, however, have criticized that encryption method as flawed. In a recent paper (PDF here), RSA Laboratories' Ari Juels, and University of California's David Molnar and David Wagner, warned that the design of the encryption keys is insufficiently secure. They said that the use of a "single fixed key" for the lifetime of the e-passport creates a vulnerability.

The Bush administration could face an eventual legal challenge. A letter to the State Department from privacy groups (PDF here) says there is "no statutory authority" for the RFID passport because Congress has not authorized it.

"Our point is, whatever Congress may have meant in giving the State Department authority to issue passports was probably to issue passports that were like the old passports," said Lee Tien, staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which co-authored the comments. "But at some point you are doing something that is significantly different, which should probably require some sort of additional congressional authorization. The argument is how broadly does that authority go, and honestly, it's something no one knows."

REVELATION 13:16 & 17 "And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."

Chip Implant Medicine: Blessing or Curse? by Author Hal Lindsey

According to WebMD, which was reported on CNN, "The chip is about the size of a grain of rice and contains a 16-digit verification number that is picked up by a scanner that emits a small amount of radio frequency that activates the chip and transmits the number back to the scanner. A similar implantable microchipping system has been used in pets and livestock for identification purposes. VeriChip is recommended for insertion in the triceps, between the elbow and the shoulder of the right arm. The chip is inserted in a brief outpatient procedure using a local anesthetic."

Don't get me wrong; there are good reasons why this technology may become a great life-saving device. Logically and practically, there is no doubt that it will become a widely used procedure. It will save many lives.

***WATCHMAN COMMENT... AND it may turn into or assist in the MARK OF THE BEAST - 666

According to Scott Silverman, CEO of Applied Digital, which makes the FDA-approved Radio Frequency Identification Chip (RFID), '"When we first announced VeriChip, a network poll asked people if they would put one in their bodies,' Silverman tells WebMD. 'Only 9 percent said yes. After FDA approval, 19 percent said yes. When former HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson joined our board, the rate went up to 33 percent. But our own study shows that if you ask people whether they would have a VeriChip implant to identify their medical records in case of an emergency, the positive response goes to 80 percent."

FOX News reported on October 14, 2004, "The chip is about the size of a grain of rice and contains a 16-digit verification number that is picked up by a scanner that emits a small amount of radio frequency that activates the chip and transmits the number back to the scanner."

This miniature chip will make it possible to track and locate every person implanted with it by GPS. It will be able to identify whether the person is in physical distress and notify emergency medical response. The emergency medical crew using a scanner will be able to get a complete medical record on the patient and what medicines and treatments the person should have. Given the advantages of such technology, I believe that it will become universally accepted.

***WATCHMAN COMMENT... When I reported a couple of years back that they were "miniaturizing" GPS many scoffed, WELL I WAS RIGHT! Read the above paragraph again!

So why am I a concerned about the wide use of it? This is just another good logical reason why the world will become conditioned to receive implanted microchips. But the book of Revelation predicts the ultimate end of this technology.

The world has to be gradually conditioned to accept these chips. But in the near future, a great world leader will be unveiled. He will use this technology to force the world to worship him. He will require all who follow him to receive a special unique identification number. He will require it to be validated by a prefix number that is the number of his name - 666.

And that validation only is given to those who worship him. As the Apostle John under the inspiration of God predicted;

"And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast [the Antichrist of Rome], telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666." (Rev. 13:14-18 NKJ)

***WATCHMAN COMMENT... That is the opinion of Hal Lindsey and not necessarily mine. Though there is occult practices in Rome I doubt the Pope will be the antichrist but he could support the antichrist religiously...

This is also the way the Antichrist will be able to identify those who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior during those final fateful days just before Christ returns. The only ones who will have an adequate reason to reject this number will be those who will not worship the Antichrist. For they will know that receiving it will mean they cannot be saved.

God predicts the fate of those who reject the Antichrist's number. Most of them will be martyred. John speaks of these martyrs standing before God's throne;

"And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God." (Rev. 15:2 NKJ)

***WATCHMAN COMMENT... I do not use nor agree with the NKJ as it is another new age version that has changed more than the thee's & thou's - I suggest you stay with the original King James version...

The sea of glass is a symbol of the peace and serenity of these martyrs as they stand in the LORD's presence in heaven. They have achieved the victory of eternal life with Him.

Praise God that those who now believe in Jesus as Savior will not be here to make that choice. We will be snatched up to meet Him before the final seven-year Tribulation begins. Those who are left behind will have a chance to believe in this terrible period, but they will have to pay a tremendous price to believe then.

***WATCHMAN COMMENT... You should know that this pre-tribulation rapture teaching is NOT scriptural. YES, I know the standard pre-trib verses that pre-trib'ers use to TRY to prove their incorrect doctrine. You will, yes you will go through tribulation and that is Bible! Read Matthew 24:29-31 The pre-trib doctrine began from a vision received by a teenage Scottish girl in the 1800's... BUT you still should listen carefully to what Hal has to say in the following, it is correct no matter what your theology is...

This is why it is so important to receive the gift of pardon that Jesus the Messiah purchased for you by dying in your place. He took the penalty for all your sins and died under the judgment that was due to you. Don't put off making sure that you have made this most important decision of your whole life.

For we are witnessing the stage being set up for all these things that were predicted to come. This is a time when putting off the decision to believe in Jesus as Savior is like playing Russian roulette with eternity.

Confess to Jesus that you know you are a sinner and can never be good enough to be accepted with God. Tell Him that you want Him to come into your life and take it over.

Your eternal destiny hangs in the balance of making that decision.

MATTHEW 19:913 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

California to try tracking parolees with GPS

Satellite tracking technology, a staple of weather forecasting and military operations for decades, is the latest tool California can use to ease its overburdened parole and probation system under legislation signed Tuesday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The bill, written by Sen. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo, clears the way for the state and its counties to continuously monitor the location of people on probation or parole by using global positioning system (GPS) devices.

Although expensive -- the cost runs close to $9 a day for each person tracked -- widespread use of the GPS system could dramatically reduce repeat criminal offenses and in turn save the state as much as $1 billion a year.

``It's important to note that the system works,'' said Speier, who cited Florida as an example. Repeat offenses of GPS-monitored parolees in that state dropped by 50 percent, Speier said.

Schwarzenegger signed the measure along with 28 other public safety bills. The governor also embraced legislation that extends the statute of limitations for reporting a sex crime and blocks sex offenders from receiving drugs for erectile dysfunction through Medi-Cal.

California counties have shied away from GPS monitoring without clear legal authority to employ it. But with Speier's measure now law, probation officials in Santa Clara, Contra Costa and San Mateo counties are ready to consider the option.

``We need to explore the areas we would want to use it and determine its benefits to the county and the community,'' said Delores Nnam, public information officer for the Santa Clara County Probation Department.

California has 115,000 parolees and 250,000 on probation, according to the state Department of Corrections. A report done by the Little Hoover Commission in 2003 said although nearly 42 percent of parolees successfully complete parole nationally, only 25 percent manage to stay out of trouble in California.

The state launched a $5.4 million pilot program over the summer to track sex offenders via satellite. Currently, 80 parolees in San Diego and Riverside counties are being monitored, and that number will increase to 500 under the program, said Todd Slosek, a spokesman for the Department of Corrections.

Parole experts at the University of California-Irvine, are evaluating the program.

Many county officials are taking a wait-and-see approach, said Lionel Chatman, Contra Costa County's chief probation officer. The county has electronic home monitoring for some minors on probation but does not currently use any GPS technology.

The drawback to GPS is the expense, Chatman said.

``It gives us another option to provide intensive supervision for a selective group of probationers,'' Chatman said. ``I'm curious to see how good it is and if the state is really satisfied with its tracking program. I'm sure vendors will be knocking on my door.''

San Mateo County officials said they are pleased with the success of a month-old program to electronically monitor 30 minors at their homes.

Stuart Forrest, the county's deputy chief of adult probation, said he has concerns about privacy issues raised by GPS monitoring. But, he said, ``I can see where GPS might be useful.''

Both the American Civil Liberties Union and the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice fought Speier's bill. The attorneys association said GPS needs more study because it raises ethical and privacy issues.

But Speier dismissed the cost and privacy concerns. The expenses of housing an inmate at a state prison, about $90 a day, far exceeds the cost of GPS monitoring, she said.

``When you are on parole or probation you are still under the control of the state, you are not a free citizen,'' Speier said, ``and you do not have the same rights and privileges.''

***WATCHMAN COMMENT... Hmmmmmm What if you won't take the MARK 666??? Does that put you UNDER the CONTROL of the STATE???