BreakTheChain.org
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Easy, Secure Credit or the Mark of the Beast?Date Added: Mar. 21, 2004
A fundamental fear of technology still exists in most of society. With it comes fanciful tales of humans giving up their identities and selves to the cold unfeeling machines. Now, we're being told that the relentless march towards automation could realize biblical prophecy?
The images above are but a few slides from a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation that has been circulating since February 2004, though the urban legend it builds on goes back much further. Little is known about the presentation's author. The document's properties are written in Portuguese and identify the author only as "Third Survey Division" (3ª Divisão de Levantamento) of the "Ministry of Defense" (Ministério da Defesa), which would put the source somewhere within the Brazilian Army's Geographic Service - hardly an authority on technology or theology. Most likely the author was or is an employee of that agency who used their company computer to design this presentation and share it with the world. The last known person to alter the file was a "La Tresce Brown." Unfortunately, little more information is given and I have not yet found current contact information for this individual. The assertions in the presentation are a mixture of truth, fiction and fanciful imagining. While its descriptions of the Mondex Smartcard and the Motorola Biochip are basically accurate, the two are not the same thing. The former is a technology for storing personal information, such as credit card information, and has indeed been proposed as a replacement to currency and current credit card systems, but wide implementation is likely years away. The latter, the RFID biochip, contains a very low-powered wireless radio transponder and is, indeed, coming into common use as a personal protection device, especially in areas where child abduction rates are high. Motorola is only one of several manufacturers of this technology. However, the assertion that the two are the same and/or will be merged into one is false. Mondex manufactures smart cards and has nothing to do with biochips. Another error: RFID chips are not implanted into the hand. Instead, they are injected into the fleshy part of the upper arm, where it is unlikely to interfere with joint and muscle function. The supposed x-ray images and the cited research that place the chips in the hand are fabrications. Also contrary to the presentation's assertions, the biochips do not currently include Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, nor are they impossible to extract. Extraction is easily done through a simple surgical procedure. Finally, most biblical scholars disagree with the modern, current-events-oriented interpretation of the Book of Revelations. Nonetheless, many have decided to translate the minor privacy concerns surrounding RFID technology as a sign of the apocalypse - which is certainly their prerogative. However, nothing about this seemingly compelling presentation is reliable. Break this chain. References: About.com |
