Digital ID, a constituent part of all social credit score systems, is now being pushed simultaneously by countries across the globe.
The latest to use coercion to implement it is Japan, who are now threatening that non-compliance may well mean that they no longer have access to their health insurance.
News Agency AP reports Japan’s Social Security Number-like scheme was launched back in 2016. It’s called My Number and consists of 12 digits given to all residents. But My Number has been far from a resounding success as many Japanese avoid using it, afraid their personal data and right to privacy will be compromised.
The Japanese society is technologically very savvy, but the people also seem very aware of the possible harms those technologies may do. When it comes to money and privacy this otherwise hi-tech country still prefers to do business in person, use cash, stamping seals, and paper documents in administrative procedures – in other words, in all those areas that really matter.
Despite the fact the My Number scheme has not had wide adoption, Japan’s authorities are now doubling down: they want to issue My Number cards with microchips in them to everyone, and those cards will also serve as photo ID since they will contain photographs of their carriers. Some of the information and services the cards are linked to are drivers licenses and public health insurance.
An online petition is currently circulating, having gathered well over 100,000 signatures in a matter of days, calling for continued use of the current form of health cards.
“If this was coming from a trustworthy leadership and the economy was thriving, maybe we would think about it, but not now,” Saeko Fujimori, who works in the music industry, told AP.
And there are dark overtones to the report.
“Something drastic may have to happen for people to accept such changes, just as it took a devastating defeat in World War II for Japan to transform itself into an economic powerhouse, said Hidenori Watanave, a professor at the University of Tokyo,” writes AP.
Digital ID, programmable money, biometric passport, and a carbon credit score are the four pillars of the Social Credit System that is on the horizon, not just for Japan, but for everyone on earth.
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