Coalition Of ‘Private’ (Cult-Owned) Companies Release ‘Policy Blueprint’ For State Government Officials To Push For Digital ID

It’s all about control.

A coalition of private companies has released a “digital ID blueprint,” which urges individual states to adopt the policies necessary to establish a digital ID system.

“In December 2022, the Better Identity Coalition released a complementary set of policy recommendations for State government officials, entitled Better Identity in America: A Blueprint for State Policymakers,” according to its website.

“These recommendations are squarely focused on ways governments can improve the privacy and security of digital identity solutions.”

Better Identity Coalition, launched in 2018, is a cross-sector partnership of 27 companies developing policy initiatives to drive better solutions for identity verification and authentication.

The Better Identity Coalition’s founding members include industry leaders from the financial services, healthcare, technology, telecommunications, financial technology, payments and security.

Members include AT&T, CVS, Discover, Early Warning, Equifax, Experian, Facetec, Fidelity, ID.me, IDEMIA, JPMorgan Chase & Co., LexisNexis, MassMutual, Mastercard, Microsoft, Norton LifeLock, Notarize, Okta, OneSpan, Onfido, PNC Bank, Ping Identity, TransUnion, Uniken, US Bank, Wells Fargo, and Yubico.

The coalition released a new version of its “policy blueprint” on Wednesday, specifically targeted to the states legislators and outlining six key initiatives to “improve the security, privacy, convenience & inclusivity of digital identity solutions.”

The blueprint for State Policymakers highlights six key initiatives:

Place the DMV at the Center of State Digital Identity Solutions.
Establish attribute validation services at vital records bureaus to support next-generation, consumer-centric remote identity proofing and verification systems.
Embrace identity innovation for better services.
Make sure identity works for everybody.
Promote and prioritize strong authentication.
Do no harm.

Read More: Coalition Of Private Companies Release ‘Policy Blueprint’ For State Government Officials To Push For Digital ID

Federal Pandemic Aid Funds Universal Basic Income Pilot Programs

There are at least 82 municipalities across 29 states now engaged in guaranteed income experiments, including more than 70 with pilot programs created within the past year, according to a coalition of more than 100 American mayors promoting the concept.

Mayors for Guaranteed Income, and proponents among municipal officials nationwide, are encouraging local governments to seed pilot programs with federal pandemic assistance from a $350 billion fund for state and local governments within the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), adopted in March 2021.

The mayoral group was established by Michael Tubbs, the former mayor of Stockton, Calif., in June 2020 after the city launched, and later extended, an experiment where 125 residents received $500 monthly in a program financed by the Economic Security Project, a nonprofit that supports guaranteed income experiments.

During a Dec. 15 virtual roundtable discussion, several municipal officials said there is growing public support for basic income models and accelerating momentum to expand these programs through a mix of federal, state, local, and private money.

In fact, much to the chagrin of conservatives and budget hawks, the ARPA state and local recovery fund is being used “as a seed for long-term policy change,” said DePaul University’s Dr. Amanda Kass, who studies how states, cities, and counties spend federal pandemic assistance.

Kass told the panel that ARPA is the first federal program “that has ever produced this amount of highly flexible aid to nearly all governments in the United States—to tens of thousands of governments.”

As a result, she said, because of “the unprecedented nature” of the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak and its accompanying slate of federal pandemic-related bills, local governments are spending ARPA money in innovative ways which makes evaluating how they spent, or plan to spend, that money “a tricky question.”

Kass said in analyzing how local governments are dispersing ARPA allocations, there’s “not just one avenue” but “many different stories” in how cities and counties “with unique socio-economic conditions” are using the money to address “unique needs.”

Read More: Federal Pandemic Aid Funds Universal Basic Income Pilot Programs

People jump to their deaths trying to escape massive resort fire (VIDEOS)

At least 10 people have died in a blaze that engulfed a hotel and casino in Cambodia

A huge fire engulfed the Grand Diamond City Hotel and Casino complex in the popular Cambodian tourist city of Poipet, just across the border with Thailand, on Wednesday night.

Nhem Phoeng, a top official at the Poipet town hall, told the Phnom Penh Post that more than “more than ten people died” as of 9:10 am local time, and over 30 were injured, many of whom were transported to Thailand and hospitalized there.

Phoeng added that most of the victims were Cambodian and Thai employees.

Videos posted on social media appear to show people sitting on window sills and falling to the ground while trying to escape. Peerapan Srisakorn, an official at the Aranyaprathet Rescue Foundation, told CNN he saw two people die and several break their legs after jumping from the burning building.

WATCH: #BNNCambodia Reports.

At least 10 people were killed and 30 others injured in a massive fire at the Grand Diamond City casino-hotel in Poipet, Cambodia on the border of Thailand on Thursday. #Cambodia #Fire #accident pic.twitter.com/SFutBUaXjr

— Gurbaksh Singh Chahal (@gchahal) December 29, 2022

WATCH: #BNNCambodia Reports

A fire at the Grand Diamond City Hotel and Casino in Poipet, near the Thai border, killed at least seven people.

According to law enforcement, 53 people were injured, and 8 people went missing. pic.twitter.com/zQojI6iC7G

— Gurbaksh Singh Chahal (@gchahal) December 29, 2022

The fire raged for more than five hours, according to Major General Sithi Loh, the provincial police commissioner. Police said that 400 people were believed to have been inside the building when the blaze broke out.

Kun Kim, vice president of the National Committee for Disaster Management, was quoted as saying that helicopters and army commandos aided the rescue efforts.

According to AFP, Poipet’s casinos are popular among visitors from Thailand, where most forms of gambling are illegal.