The Coming Cashless Society

My Perspective

Being a Christian, I adhere to the prophecies regarding the End Times. I believe in what the Book of Revelations says regarding the mark of the Beast.

Being a supply chain consultant, I have concerns about the bar coding and automatic data collection equipment that I market and program.

Am I selling to my clients the instruments of identification?

Is the technology I work with paving the way for a massive database?

My answer is YES, and NO.

Revelation 13:16,17 says:

And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand, or on their forehead, and he provides that no one should be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.

Much contemporary discussion about prophecy and technology combines excessive speculation and poor interpretation. It is not my desire to defend or deny either. But rather to give you my opinion on some of the current identification technologies, and their possible uses as relates to Bible prophecy.

The Barcode. Federal Express, the U.S. Postal Service, Nintendo, and hundreds of companies (not to mention thousands of businesses) use a barcode for product identification. It is used because a bar code can reduce data entry errors, and provide a fast means of access to a computer database. Pricing, availability, shipping location, etc. are all functions that are made more efficient by the use of a barcode and a computer database that stores related information.

The barcode can also be placed on employee badges, or other forms of personal identification, where personal information needs to be retrieved.

Ah, you ask - what information?

Biometrics. A new kid on the technology block, biometrics is the use of truly personal attributes for identification purposes. The length of your hand and the distance between fingers is the principle behind hand geometry scanners. Your hand is placed on a surface that has pegs and guide rails, and light beams from three sides triangulate the dimensions of your hand. Electronic fingerprinting is being used, but carries such a negative impression (due to Law enforcement), that it's use is not particularly wide spread. Retinal scanners are becoming popular, if for no other reason than it's Star Wars appeal.

The chief advantage of biometrics is how truly personal it is. You may lose your employee ID badge, but you will never misplace your hand, or your finger, or your eye.

But what if you don't want such a personal record? After all, if you quit work, you can return your badge. But your handprint?

Button Memory. Small radio transmitters (with product identification databases encoded) placed on fixed assets, shock absorbers of big rig trucks, and (in miniature form), implanted behind dog's ears. These buttons contain information beyond simple name or identification. They can contain miniature databases. They are extremely durable, usually weatherproof. And unlike bar codes or biometrics, they can be read from radio towers or located with satellites.

Yes your puppy or car can be found if stolen. A big rig truck can be located if it breaks down.

If you have one in your purse, can you be found? What if you don't want to be?

Smart Cards. The most talked about item today. Everything from your ATM or Credit Card, to the new crop of cards that contain radio transmitters and miniature transaction processors. Your ATM is a form of identification. It is the link between you and your checking account. The same with your Visa or Mastercard. President Clinton's doomed National Healthcare system used a credit card sized smart card that would contain your medical history. New high security badges contain radio signaling devices. When passed within fifteen feet of a transmitter, entrance is granted. Phone Cards available from 7-11 offer anyone a discounted phone rate for a pre-set number of minutes. These cards are programmed with information so that you can only talk for your limit. But college campuses around the country are experimenting with resetting cards; cards that can store an amount of money to be used on campus, and then re-set when more money is put on account

So my medical profile, my checking account, my telephone credit card, and my employee badge are all plastic cards.

Why can't they be incorporated into one card? Why indeed?

Lest you think the above is science fiction, all of the technologies mentioned are in use today. (Even the dog implant!) However, from a supply chain consultant's point of view, all require two things:

1) a computer database with information that needs to be accessed - an inventory record, a personnel record, a monetary record, etc.

2) a method of security - to use your ATM, you need a personal identification number (PIN); the new employee badges still have your picture; a bar coded item still has it's brand (or price) clearly marked, etc.

If you could maintain a computer database, and have a secure form of identification, you could create a truly powerful, and auditable transaction based application. Say a Cashless Society. Using your ATM card, you could purchase groceries, pay your bills, buy airline tickets, or do anything you used to do with cash. It would be impossible to spend more than what you have because the database knows your available balance. It would improve bank reporting because checks would be eliminated. It could avoid theft, because cash would no longer be used. Your paychecks would be directly deposited to your account, eliminating deposit slips. Yes there are a number of advantages. But there is a dark side - these transactions are recorded and maintained. Someone could see how much you spent, where you spent it, etc. In effect, your personal financial profile is there for review. In an effort to provide better service and improved fiscal efficiency, the foundation is being laid for massive personal analysis.

You can see from the above example, and my preceding comments, that the potential benefit of a technology must not overshadow it's possible misuse. As dutiful Christians, we must pay attention to our society, our beliefs, and prophecy.

Is the technology I sell providing the structure for Revelation 13. Possibly. Even though these items can be used for identification, there still remains the need for a massive computer database linking all this information together. While this database may know my address, my tax bracket, my income, my spending habits, my first born's name, etc. IT DOES NOT IDENTIFY ME AS A CHRISTIAN. Until that time, I will continue working with these technologies. When I see a change, I will let you know.

Gregg London