Papers, Please! – Today the US Transportation Security Administration released a detailed TSA Biometric Roadmap for Aviation Security & the Passenger Experience, making explicit the goal of requiring mug shots (to be used for automated facial recognition and image-based surveillance and control) as a condition of all domestic or international air travel.
This makes explicit the goal that has been apparent, but only implicit, in the activities and statements of both government agencies and airline and airport trade associations.
It’s a terrifyingly totalitarian vision of pervasive surveillance of air travelers at, quite literally and deliberately, every step of their journey, enabled by automated facial recognition and by the seamless collaboration of airlines and airport operators that will help the government surveil their customers in exchange for free use of facial images for their own business purposes and profits.
Continue reading “TSA Announces “biometrics vision for all commercial aviation travelers””
Paul Rosenberg – I have friends who are convinced that a cartel is manipulating the gold and silver markets. I have other friends who disagree, but today I’ll hang with the former. And they plead a good case, with there being 100 times more paper gold than physical and a 
Liberty Planet – Pundits are calling Pres. Donald J. Trump’s domestic policies the “Colorblind Economy” because it has improved employment opportunities for Americans of all walks of life, particularly African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans. But outside of the incredible economic engine he has harnessed, Pres. Trump is far from colorblind. Recognizing the African-Americans have disproportionately suffered, the president is calling for passage of prison reform legislation after the mid-term elections.
Mary O’Malley – How would your life change if you trusted that your challenges are a part of your journey home – back to yourself and back to life – instead of feeling that your challenges are here because you have done something wrong or you are being punished or God fell asleep on the job? What would happen if your illness, your difficult relationship, your demanding boss, your compulsions, and maybe even your troublesome pet were showing up in your life to help you heal?
Jennifer Hoffman – For the last 5 days I had no electricity, as my area was hit by the high winds and heavy rain from hurricane Michael. When the power first went out I waited for a few hours for it to return and went to bed in the dark, thinking it would be on by morning. When it wasn’t, I realized it might be out for a while and I was going to have to change my routine and my life to accommodate this unwelcome, inconvenient, and unwanted change. I did and now that the electricity is back, I realized it was a big lesson in changes, choices, control, and priorities.