Is Apple’s digital ID rollout A TRAP?!

What this episode is about

The discussion centers on the rollout of Apple's digital ID and the concerns surrounding state-issued digital identification systems. Critics argue that such technology could lead to increased government surveillance and control over citizens, reminiscent of systems already implemented in countries like China, while proponents see it as a means to enhance convenience and streamline processes like airport security.

Key takeaways

• The allure of digital IDs: a convenient siren song masking a potential privacy nightmare.
• Trusting the government? That’s like handing a toddler a box of cookies and expecting restraint.
• Apple’s digital ID rollout: a friendly Trojan horse, greasing the wheels of state surveillance.
• From punch cards to digital IDs; technology’s dark past warns us of future risks we can’t ignore.
• Remind me again, how did the world ignore history? Digital IDs might just be that blind spot.

Who speaks in this episode?

• Glenn Beck (Guest) · 11 min speaking
• Stu (Guest) · 7 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 3:00: Apple Inc.
2. 3:00 – 6:00: IBM, Apple Inc., Revelation
3. 12:00 – 15:00: Elon Musk
4. 15:00 – 17:34: September 11th

Notable quotes from "Is Apple’s digital ID rollout A TRAP?!"

• Now, because Americans aren't for it, the good, good, good, good, good, good people at Apple are here for you.

  about Apple Inc. · at 1:45

• Very bad idea. There's a story I can't remember. Oh, it's called the book of Revelation.

  about Revelation · at 4:26

• Okay? They put everything onto these punch cards where everybody lived, who was related to whom, etc., etc. So they could go in the afternoon and go, we got to clear out another 20,000. Where are.

  about IBM · at 5:31

• Talked about who are like let's just stop AI for 5 years and we and then let's assess it like even Elon Musk has said stuff like this and like I think he's even abandoned that…

  about Elon Musk · at 13:11

• You notice how many people are talking about God the way they were just a few weeks ago. Are we starting to go into the September 11th, September 12th kind of thing where we…

  about September 11th · at 15:56

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Elon Musk — Person · Referenced public figure (AI policy voice) · 1 mention · first at 13:17
  Cited as an example of a prominent tech leader who previously advocated pausing AI development, used to argue that slowing AI is unrealistic because competitors (e.g., China) won't stop.

Books & papers

• Revelation — Book · Referenced work · 1 mention · first at 4:30
  Cited as a biblical reference to the dangers of centralized control and the 'mark of the beast'.

Companies & orgs

• Apple Inc. — Company · Business focus · 2 mentions · first at 1:54
  Discussed in the context of digital ID technology and its implications for privacy and control.
• IBM — Company · Case study · 2 mentions · first at 5:06
  Mentioned as a historical example of technology being used for authoritarian purposes.

Places & events

• September 11th — Event · Referenced work · 1 mention · first at 16:02
  Mentioned in the context of societal reactions to crises and the temporary nature of collective unity.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 So Stu, why wouldn't you want a digital ID issued by the state? Why wouldn't I want?

0:09 Yeah, why wouldn't you want? Gosh, I can't think of any reasons. Sounds make everything so much easier,

0:14 right? Uh, you know, you can always trust the government to have your best interest at heart,

0:19 unlike these corporations. Uh, and uh, you know, so I think I would take one immediately. But are there some people that are resisting this? I can't even imagine. Well, there's some that say that, you know, this is the beginning of an allseeing, all knowing state and the next thing you know, they control everything.

0:38 It's weird, too, because is is that even speculation? Like, isn't this what like for example, China is already doing?

0:44 Oh, yeah. China's already doing and Europe, they're trying to get it in and they talk about it openly that this is what it is. The next thing you get the digital ID is the first thing. Then it includes your medical records. It includes all your health e everything. It will give you uh access to the hospitals or not access to the hospitals. Um it will uh allow you to buy things or not buy things. It'll allow you to access online or not access online. It is control of absolutely everything. And that's in the design and they talk about it openly. Okay. We're backdooring it. We're not because they know Americans are not going to go for that really. Did you meet us during COVID? Um, and they've been trying to remember that's what a lot of people said co really the real thing on COVID was really all about was digital ID. We got to get everybody onto a digital ID.

1:45 Now, because Americans aren't for it, the good, good, good, good, good, good people at Apple are here for you. Presenting the new Apple digital ID. Now, at the TSA checkpoints in more than 250 airports all across the uh the US, you can present your digital ID at T at TSA checkpoints and get right onto that plane. Imagine it allows you to create and store an ID in an Apple wallet using your US passport. The Apple Digital ID acceptance will begin to roll out at TSA checkpoints for domestic travel in over 250 airports across the US uh the USA. Apple notes it's not a replacement for your physical passport and you can't use it yet for international travel or border crossings, but you can store everything digitally in their wallet. I can already pay for almost everything with that wallet. Now I can use it as an official government ID.

2:56 Yeah. Who doesn't want that? I mean I it does sort of sound appealing, doesn't it? I mean it just speaking frankly for a moment. It

3:07 does. It does. Very appealing. When I get on a plane, you know, I'm using that as my key. Uh you know, you you have cars now where your phone is your key.

3:18 Um you have you can store all sorts of credit cards. You can pay through the phone. I mean, what's the argument to the average person that this is some bad thing? I have to carry this in my wallet anyway. I'm carrying my phone instead. Uh,

3:31 I'd love that. I'd love that if it was completely isolated on my phone. Now, Apple's pretty good with security. Actually, they are legitimately good with the best. No, I know they I mean that sincerely. We're saying it with a sarcastic voice

3:46 because what does the best mean? what does the best it's a relative turn it's a relative turn they are the best at digital at at you know security

3:56 as opposed to some of their competitors right and um uh I have to tell you when you start putting everything all records all passports all it is your one universal key and it's tied directly to online where it's tracking everything, everywhere you go, every dollar you spend. This is just a very bad idea. Very bad idea. There's a story I can't remember. Um Oh, uh it's uh called the book of Revelation.

4:36 I mean, you I mean, how much clearer do you have to be where you can't go anywhere? You can't uh you can't buy anything unless you have the mark.

4:47 Well, I'm not saying Apple is coming up with the mark of the beast, but this is the technology that sure kind of fits it. And I just don't Do you know why the Germans could round up so many Jews

5:01 every night? IBM. IBM. That's a book, right? IBM and the Holocaust. IBM came up with the punch card system. You remember when I was a kid? I don't know if anybody else remembers this, but you know, these computers were the size of rooms and you had punch cards and you would feed it in and it would store the information on the punch card. Okay? And so you could ask it anything on a punch card. You type it out and it would punch out whatever and you'd feed it in the computer and it would feed out another punch card and then you'd translate it.

5:31 Okay? They put everything onto these punch cards where everybody lived, who was related to whom, etc., etc. So they could go in the afternoon and go, we got to clear out another 20,000. Where are they, feed it into IBM, punch card it out, they round everybody up. Okay, that was then. There wouldn't be a Jew alive on the planet if we had digital IDs. Not a chance.

5:58 Yeah. And it really it does sort of uh rest on your belief we don't cross those lines, right? that that our government doesn't become Nazi Germany and uh again that's everybody who have has faced a government like that has thought about oh gosh well our government won't do this right like everybody

6:17 think of co we were on the air saying like in what February can you imagine look at what they're doing they're welding people into their houses in Italy being China was chi China's China like do I am I surprised they're welding people's no way you could even have us stay in our own houses.

6:37 But when it happened in Italy, I remember being like, "Oh my, like that's we share a lot of what I thought a general understanding

6:45 said not happen here." I remember s thinking it sitting in the chair I'm sitting in right now thinking watching the map,

6:53 you know, on TV of Italy as it got more and more red and circles started popping up all over and they're getting all these cases and I'm thinking to myself, they're actually making people stay in their houses. Can you believe this? It's like I I couldn't even comprehend it.

7:05 Yeah. That they would even ask us to do it in the United States. And then a few weeks later, there we were.

7:09 There we were. There we were. And some states were better than others. Oh, yeah. And there was never a point where I was not able to leave my house, but there were lots of restrictions on where I could go.

7:20 I know people that could leave their house. Yeah. I know people not in Texas and other places could not leave their house. Could not go outside.

7:28 Could not go outside. Couldn't go for a walk. That was insanity and and you know and we just took it. We just took it. This is already happening.

7:39 We didn't take it. But I know what you're saying. In some states we did. Some people did. Some people not only took it, cheered it on and vilified people who wouldn't go along with it.

7:48 Yes. Yes. Uh though I do think though when you look back at the overall arc of that period when you don't focus on the you know the the very fine details of it what you get is a society that did say no to it. It it took a while and it was it did happen in some states and not others. We eventually did get to that place and because of constitutional protections I think some of that stuff was reversed. It's I'm not saying it's a positive story overall, but I mean at the end of the day, we didn't turn into Nazi Germany, right,

8:18 from it, but they also didn't have total control over everything. They couldn't just shut your money off,

8:25 right? Okay. The difference here, digital ID is the first step to an authoritarian state where they have all control. Doesn't mean you end there.

8:35 It just means you've given people that power. You don't ever want to give people that power ever, ever, ever. Uh, we're not going to use it that way. Tell me one thing that the government has said we're not going to do besides balance the budget. Show me one thing they said we're not going to do

8:54 that they, you know, they haven't done. Lots of positive things they said they're going to do and then didn't

9:00 and then didn't do them. Um, but yeah, yeah, you're right. Well, it's it is a step down a path that you don't want to walk down,

9:07 especially when, you know, if we were becoming a more and more healthy republic, if we were becoming a more and more just republic, a more calm republic, a a republic that was starting to really realize, you know, I have a real responsibility as a citizen not to burn Minneapolis down. You know what I mean? I have a I have a real responsibility as somebody in my party says I think we should behead them. I'm going to stand up and say no, we shouldn't and I'll lead a campaign to make sure that that person is not, you know, the one that wins that election.

9:38 Even if it's my even if it's my running mate. Um we're not that nation. We're not going in that direction. We're going the opposite. When you have a nation that is like, you know, I don't know exactly what's going to happen with the dollar because of everything is go. You don't want to hand them the tool that just says, "Oh, by the way, you can buy everything now, you know, with your digital ID and it'll all be centralized and you've already signed up. You have it, so we're just giving it now. Yeah, your dollar is not going to be worth anything soon." Just make sure you get the digital ID. You don't want that scenario. you stay away from those lines.

10:17 We do have to protect those lines. But I will say, you know, history is littered with examples of people who say they're going to protect those lines and when convenience rears its head, they choose the convenience. I mean, it happens almost every single time, Glenn. There's almost no examples of people who will resist these technologies.

10:39 So that is on that is on the freedom loving side. Okay. where you're like, I'm not going to do I'm not going to give my face to anybody face ID on Apple. We're all doing it. Okay. Um on the on the other side, there's almost no example of getting something that can be used to control people and having those who are nefarious on either side not use those things. Eventually, they will find a way to use those things. Look at look at the look at the Patriot Act.

11:16 We all were not, oh, you know what? We're all patriots. We're all patriots. We all believe in the same thing.

11:22 Maybe a slight simplification of that conversation, but I know it is. But but generally speaking, we all just kind of went along with it. And look how out of control it is now. Look how out of control our country is on spying on our own citizens. something 20 years ago, we would have we would have we would have marched up to Washington to make sure all of those people were standing in front of a judge and going to jail that week. We don't even recognize it anymore. You don't want these tools given.

11:52 We're simultaneously uh being watched more than ever before. But as you brought up in hour one, Thomas Krooks is just on the internet like threatening everybody in the government.

12:03 How do I behead this politician? Right. And like no one even knows, no one pays attention.

12:08 A search and our government is like, "Yeah, Mary, we couldn't find anything digitally." Wait, wait, he did this. How come? What is happening? That's why I mean in a time when we distrust our government more and more. That's the last thing you do is give them more power and access to everything about you. How do you balance this though, Glenn? Because one of the things, and maybe we could take a I know we have to take a break here, but maybe you could answer this. One of the things I always thought about the the most brilliant thing of our founders were understanding human fallibility. Yes. Right. Like understanding that we weren't going to be perfect and we should set up a system that understood

12:49 that people have selfish motivations at times and that that the system will be able to understand that and still be able to deliver a great world. Right?

13:02 This is the situation here. Like I this is why I have no real time for some of the conversations we've had on uh some of the people you know we've read and talked about who are like let's just stop AI for 5 years and we and then let's assess it like even Elon Musk has said stuff like this and like I think he's even abandoned that to some degree as he's developing AI himself but like the idea that we're going to slow this down or stop it and have a conversation people just want it too much and at some point we just have to understand they're going to we better live in that world, understand that world, and try to deal with the real world. Because if we just say, "Okay, well, let's just stop."

13:41 Well, that's great. You know who's not going to stop? China. You know, you know who's not going to stop? Like bad actors, uh, hacking groups, all these other things. And if we we if we base our solution on, well, let's just not do these things, we're going to wind up losing. And I I I you know the the digital ID is probably a small part of that conversation, but I think it's part of it.

14:04 People are going to want it. Hey, I don't have to bring my wallet. How so? How do we knowing that people will choose to have this things on on these things on their phone because it's going to be easier?

14:16 How are we going to then push back against that and and stop these things from going down these roads? Are there protections we can

14:23 I will give you I'll give you what the founder what I think the founders would have said. So I think the answer to your question is there's no way back.

14:35 The typical Glenn Beck optimism I should come to expect on this program. Yeah. But that is why that's why I get up every day. That's why you get up every day I think because the only way back is to remember what our founders said. Our founder said this is wholly inadequate. This will never work

14:56 for a people who are not virtuous and religious who haven't understood. They serve something higher than government or themselves. They serve God. And that puts a limit and a governor on them and their passions and what they do. If you lose that, you lose virtue. You you can't you can't have freedom. Okay? You just can't look at how what's happening. We can't have freedom because everybody's like, I want it my way. I have a right, you know, and then they go burn down Minneapolis and you're like, wait, you don't have a right to do that.

15:32 But but you can't you can't stop because half of the country is like, well, that's their right. They they were right cuz they were they were they, you know, they were sad one day when they were kids. You're like, what? What? So this system does not work. We have to go back to the beginning. That's why not a uh revival but only an awakening will work. You notice how many people are talking about God the way they were just a few weeks ago. Are we starting to go into the September 11th, September 12th kind of thing where we all found God and we're all like, you know what, that's right. And then 3 weeks later we're like, "Yeah, whatever." It definitely feels like that's happening. Feels like it is. Right. Um that is that's the trouble. That's a a revival happens from time to time. We had lots of revivals in the you during the progressive era all the time. People had revi revival. What we need is an awakening which comes

16:31 after a revival after people go, "Oh, God's calling to me. I got to look into that." Then you look into it. And then you don't just go, "I got to tell you I'm better than you because Jesus, I love Jesus more than you. Your Jesus isn't as strong as my Jesus. That gets you nowhere. An awakening is when you say, "Jesus is who I serve. I just want to be more like him. How would he deal with this situation even when people aren't looking? How do I live my life? How do I do my job? How how do I how do what do I vote for? What do I look for in a spouse or a president or whatever?" That's an awakening and that's when the country changes. Other than that, there is no other way back. There's no secret sauce.

17:21 There's no there's no politician or party that can fix it. Only an awakening will.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Is Apple’s digital ID rollout A TRAP?!"?

Glenn Beck (Guest), Stu (Guest).

What is "Is Apple’s digital ID rollout A TRAP?!" about?

The discussion centers on the rollout of Apple's digital ID and the concerns surrounding state-issued digital identification systems. Critics argue that such technology could lead to increased government surveillance and control over citizens, reminiscent of systems already implemented in countries like China, while proponents see it as a means to enhance convenience and streamline processes…

What is mentioned in this Glenn Beck episode?

5 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Apple Inc., IBM, Revelation, September 11th, Elon Musk. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Is Apple’s digital ID rollout A TRAP?!"?

The episode runs 18 min; the transcript is about 3,156 words in 53 timestamped sections.

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