The fear of identity theft and cyber-banking crime has been the latest sales pitch to encourage accepting identity tech such as vein scanners , facial recognition, voiceprints , iris scans - even tears - as well as their attendant databases. There is an ongoing cooperative effort between global banks and corporations to ensure that there will be standardized, centralized entry into the consumer/Internet/banking matrix of the future.

Another data point to note in the evolution of biometric ID is that MasterCard is now partnering with a Norwegian company called Zwipe to introduce the first fully biometric credit card, which will dispense with a PIN and instead use a fingerprint sensor for verification.

The transition to a cashless society continues apace, while simultaneously incorporating an all-inclusive tracking database from which it will become very difficult to escape if one wishes to interact in any meaningful way with a modern-day economy. Apparently, this means even a simple trip to the corner store:

Last month, he (Ajay Bhalla, president of enterprise safety and security at Mastercard - Ed. ) remarked on the future of biometric payments, saying " the idea of running out for some milk, walking into a store and using your thumb print to make the purchase has sounded futuristic, even if the technology has been in place for a while." He added, "We have already had great success in Africa, with financial inclusion projects which use biometrics to identify millions of cardholders." (emphasis added)