For some people, especially Christians, the
government's role of utilizing
advanced technology to create a more secure and
efficient information superhighway infrastructure is more than just a loss of privacy and freedom; it is the "Mark of the Beast" and a sign of the "End of Times" based on the Biblical prophesies. The paper shows that, to others, such as privacy advocate groups, these new innovations are the "Mark of the New World Order," a new era in which the
government will have totalitarian control of all people throughout the world through the use of
advanced technology. The paper traces the history of all prior technological events that led to our current information superhighway and "identity" crisis, starting from the emergence of computers in the 1960s, which enabled the government to identify each person with a unique number, such as the social security number that was created in the 1930s. The paper discusses the role of the IRS, bar codes, credit cards, the Internet, and Global Positioning Systems.