The Present Reality of REAL ID Federal-State Tensions

Driver’s license vendors already know about the states’ decades-long resistance to REAL ID, and I bet you do too.

Anthony Kimery of Biometric Update put a fundamental truth succinctly:

“The saga of the REAL ID pushback reveals a deep and ongoing tension at the heart of American governance: the friction between national imperatives and state autonomy.”

Kimery’s article, “Twenty years later the REAL ID debate refuses to go away,” captures the history of this federal-state tension over the years. 

Beginning with some states telling the federal government to get out of their affairs, as well as expressing budgetary concerns about federal mandates that the federal government wouldn’t fund, Anthony Kimery’s REAL ID tale concludes with all the states and territories achieving technical compliance with REAL ID…two decades later.

(Why did the states surrender to the federal REAL ID mandates? Because as much as the states complained about federal overreach…in the end the federal government controlled the airports. If you wanted to fly, you had to get a federal passport…or bend your state driver’s license to the federal rules. And you might recall that airport security was the whole reason for REAL IDs in the first place.)

At the end of Kimery’s story, concerns have come full circle. States that maintained that they have the right to determine how they issue their own driver’s licenses are angry at how OTHER states exercise the right to issue THEIR own driver’s licenses.

“Early this year,…Wyoming passed legislation invalidating out-of-state driver’s licenses issued to undocumented immigrants.”

Maybe we need a national ID?

If you’re curious about what Bredemarket has said about REAL ID over the years, I’ve collected a few samples:

And if your company sells driver’s license services, but your staff is too swamped to tell your story, you can obtain the services of a consultant who can create 22 (or more) types of internal and external content. Contact Bredemarket: https://bredemarket.com/cpa/

(Image: Transportation Security Administration Checkpoint at John Glenn Columbus International Airport. By Michael Ball – Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77279000.)

May 1 is World Password Day

The KnowledgeFlow Cybersecurity Foundation reminds us that the Upland Amazon Fresh grand opening isn’t the only big event this Thursday.

“World Password Day occurs on the first Thursday in May each year. It’s a day dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of password security and promoting good password practices to enhance your online security.”

And even if you belong to the “passwords are dead” movement, you’d better celebrate anyway because passwords will remain longer than you think.

(Imagen 3)

Amazon Fresh, Just Walk Out, and Reducing Automation

Between the Upland store grand opening, my musings on Amazon One, and a combination of the two, I have focused on the Amazon Fresh retail chain lately.

But I haven’t touched on the demise of Just Walk Out.

Not because of shrinkage, but because shoppers want control…and Just Walk Out took control away.

It’s masterful, really. You just throw your purchases into your cart, and a battery of cameras record and price everything automatically.

In reality, a battery of cameras and third world workers record and price everything semi-automatically. But I digress.

Anyway, all your purchases are recorded and totaled, and your payment method is charged as you just walk out.

THEN you find out how much you just spent.

Guess what? Customers didn’t like the surprises. They wanted to know how much they were spending BEFORE they were charged.

Customers wanted a better solution:

“Shoppers said they preferred being able to track their spending during a shop, access receipts instantly, and easily find products—all things that are harder with a fully automated system.

“The new solution—smart trolleys known as Dash Carts—lets customers scan items as they shop, view their basket total in real time, and pay using contactless payment at the end.”

Dash Cart picture from https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=21289116011

The love for Amazon Dash Carts horrifies engineers, who are shocked that customers rejected the technological marvel that was Just Walk Out.

Except that customers don’t want features. They want benefits…such as being able to control their spending.

And if the manual Dash Carts offer better benefits than the automated Just Walk Out…then Just Walk Out does exactly that and leaves the premises.

And if you need to communicate the benefits of your technology solution…

Bredemarket can help:

  • compelling content creation
  • winning proposal development
  • actionable analysis

Book a call: https://bredemarket.com/cpa/ 

Hacking the May 7 Papal Conclave

This past weekend the world watched the funeral of Pope Francis.

Which means that the time has come to select a new Pope. The conclave for this purpose will begin on May 7.

The papal conclaves that convene to select a new Pope are notorious for their secrecy. The Cardinals who select the new Pope are locked away and generally cannot communicate with the outside world. With one exception: black smoke appears if a vote does not result in the election of a Pope, or white smoke if a Pope is elected.

Because the selection of a Pope has massive influence on both religious and secular affairs worldwide, there are those who desire to hack the papal conclave to get inside information.

Which is why the Vatican employs a cybersecurity expert.

“[I]n in October 2019…the Vatican appointed Gianluca Gauzzi Broccoletti as its Director of Security Services.

“Broccoletti brought robust and vigorous experience from previous roles in Italian law enforcement and cybersecurity. 

“Under his leadership, the team modernized the Papacy’s setup, with a strong emphasis on AI-powered threat analysis and digital forensics.”

Broccoletti and his staff employ a wide variety of cybersecurity techniques, including phone bans, security cameras, signal jammers, endpoint monitoring, and armed guards.

But this is the first papal conclave conducted under Broccoletti’s watch.

Will he maintain the secrecy of the ballot?

And if you offer a cybersecurity solution, how will your prospects learn about it?

Bredemarket can help:

  • compelling content creation
  • winning proposal development
  • actionable analysis

Book a call: https://bredemarket.com/cpa/ 

(Imagen 3)

TSA Photo Requests: “The Current U.S. Government” Can Already Obtain Your Facial Image

There have been many recent stories about Transportation Security Administration (TSA) capture of the facial images of travelers, an outgrowth of the same post-9/11 concerns that resulted in REAL IDs in 2008…I mean 2025. (Maybe.)

One story from HuffPost clearly states its view on the matter. The title of the story? “Why You Can (And Should) Opt Out Of TSA Facial Recognition Right Now.”

I guess we know where HuffPost stands.

As to the “why” of its stance, here’s a succinct statement:

“Do you really want to be submitting a face scan to the current U.S. government?”

And perhaps there are good reasons to distrust the Trump Administration, or any administration. 

After all, the TSA says it only retains the picture for a limited time: “Photos are not stored or saved after a positive ID match has been made, except in a limited testing environment for evaluation of the effectiveness of the technology,”

But maybe…something happens. Someone accidentally forgot to delete the files. Oops.

And if something happens, the federal government has just captured an image of your face!

Guess what? The federal government can probably already get an image of your face, even if you don’t allow TSA to take your photo.

After all, you had to show some sort of identification when you arrived at that TSA checkpoint. Maybe you showed a passport, with a picture that the U.S. State Department received at one point. No, they don’t retain them either. But maybe…something happens.

But who does retain an image of your face?

Your state driver’s license agency. And as of 2019:

“Twenty-one states currently allow federal agencies such as the FBI to run searches of driver’s license and identification photo databases.”

So if a federal agency wants your facial image, it can probably obtain it even if you decline the TSA photo request.

Unless you strictly follow Amish practices. But in that case you probably wouldn’t be going through a TSA checkpoint anyway.

But if you are with a facial recognition company, and you want your prospects and their prospects to understand how your solution protects their privacy…

Bredemarket can help:

  • compelling content creation
  • winning proposal development
  • actionable analysis

Book a call: https://bredemarket.com/cpa/ 

(Security checkpoint picture generated by Imagen 3)

“Somewhat You Why” in Minnesota

Remember my earlier post “‘Somewhat You Why,’ and Whether Deepfakes are Evil or Good or Both”?

When I posted it, I said:

I debated whether or not I should publish this because it touches upon two controversial topics: U.S. politics, and my proposed sixth factor of authentication. 

I eventually decided to share it on the Bredemarket blog but NOT link to it or quote it on my socials.

Well, I’m having the same debate with this post, which is ironic because I learned about the content via the socials. Not that I will identify the source, because it is from someone’s personal Facebook feed.

Just a random picture of Princess Diana. Public domain.

My earlier post analyzed my assumption that deepfakes are bad. It covered the end of National Science Foundation funding for deepfake research, apparently because deepfakes can be used as a form of First Amendment free speech.

Well, the same issue is appearing at the state level, according to the AP:

X Corp., the social media platform owned by Trump adviser Elon Musk, is challenging the constitutionality of a Minnesota ban on using deepfakes to influence elections and harm candidates, saying it violates First Amendment speech protections.

As I previously noted, this does NOT mean that X believes in a Constitutional right to financially defraud people.

  • Or do I have a Constitutional right to practice my freedom of religion by creating my own biometric-free voter identification card like John Wahl did?

Again, is it all about intent? Somewhat you why?

And if your firm provides facial recognition, how do you address such issues?

If you need help with your facial recognition product marketing, Bredemarket has an opening for a facial recognition client. I can offer

  • compelling content creation
  • winning proposal development
  • actionable analysis

If Bredemarket can help your stretched staff, book a free meeting with me: https://bredemarket.com/cpa/

(Lincoln’s laptop from Imagen 3)

Amazon in Upland: Is a Bear a Non-Person Entity?

So the day approaches, and the Upland Amazon Fresh will hold its grand opening on Thursday, May 1.

Amazon Fresh, Upland, California.

Wonder if the bear will show up.

Image from https://abc7.com/amazon-driver-bear-delivery-in-upland-caught-on-video/11503470/

What? You forgot about the bear?

“Yes, that’s an Amazon driver in the foreground, raising his hands to try to scare a bear away so he can make his delivery. He was successful. 

“The full Storyful video can be found here. (And of course it’s a Ring video. You didn’t expect a Nest video, did you?)”

I wonder if the bear’s paw will work with the palm vein reader.

Imagen 3. What’s the Amazon One error rate for THIS demographic group?

By the way, this is a reminder that Bredemarket provides its services to local Inland Empire businesses also. I can offer

  • compelling content creation
  • winning proposal development
  • actionable analysis

If Bredemarket can help your stretched staff, book a free meeting with me: https://bredemarket.com/cpa/

And one more thing…

After I wrote the main body of this post, I realized that I accidentally wrote the Bredemarket trifecta, covering all three of my concentrations:

  • Identity (Amazon)
  • Technology (Amazon)
  • Inland Empire (Amazon)

If you’re concerned about Amazon taking over everything, don’t fear. It will eventually fail.

But until it does, I’m gonna make some money!

#fakefakefake

Why Replacing Your Employees with VLM NPE Bots Won’t Defeat Social Engineering

(Scammed bot finger picture from Imagen 3)

Your cybersecurity firm can provide the most amazing protection software to your clients, and the clients still won’t be safe.

Why not? Because of the human element. All it takes is one half-asleep employee to answer that “We received your $3,495 payment” email. Then all your protections go for naught.

The solution is simple: eliminate the humans.

Eliminating the human element

Companies are replacing humans with bots for other rea$on$. But an added benefit is that when you bring in the non-person entities (NPEs) who are never tired and never emotional, social engineering is no longer effective. Right?

Well, you can social engineer the bot NPEs also.

Birthday MINJA

Last month I wrote a post entitled “An ‘Injection’ Attack That Doesn’t Bypass Standard Channels?” It discussed a technique known as a memory injection attack (MINJA). In the post I was able to sort of (danged quotes!) get an LLM to say that Donald Trump was born on February 22, 1732.

(Image from a Google Gemini prompt and response)

Fooling vision-language models

But there are more serious instances in which bots can be fooled, according to Ben Dickson.

“Visual agents that understand graphical user interfaces and perform actions are becoming frontiers of competition in the AI arms race….

“These agents use vision-language models (VLMs) to interpret graphical user interfaces (GUI) like web pages or screenshots. Given a user request, the agent parses the visual information, locates the relevant elements on the page, and takes actions like clicking buttons or filling forms.”

Clicking buttons seems safe…until you realize that some buttons are so obviously scambait that most humans are smart enough NOT to click on them.

What about the NPE bots?

“They carefully designed and positioned adversarial pop-ups on web pages and tested their effects on several frontier VLMs, including different variants of GPT-4, Gemini, and Claude.

“The results of the experiments show that all tested models were highly susceptible to the adversarial pop-ups, with attack success rates (ASR) exceeding 80% on some tests.”

Educating your users

Your cybersecurity firm needs to educate. You need to warn humans about social engineering. And you need to warn AI masters that bots can also be social engineered.

But what if you can’t? What if your resources are already stretched thin?

If you need help with your cybersecurity product marketing, Bredemarket has an opening for a cybersecurity  client. I can offer

  • compelling content creation
  • winning proposal development
  • actionable analysis

If Bredemarket can help your stretched staff, book a free meeting with me: https://bredemarket.com/cpa/

Is Milwaukee Selling PII for Free Facial Recognition Software Access?

(Part of the biometric product marketing expert series)

Perhaps facial recognition product marketers have heard of stories like this. Or perhaps they haven’t.

Tight budgets. Demands that government agencies save money. Is this the solution?

“Milwaukee police are mulling a trade: 2.5 million mugshots for free use of facial recognition technology.

“Officials from the Milwaukee Police Department say swapping the photos with the software firm Biometrica will lead to quicker arrests and solving of crimes.”

Read the article at https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/crime/2025/04/25/milwaukee-police-considering-trading-mugshots-for-facial-recognition-tech/83084223007/

As expected, activists raised all sorts of other concerns about facial recognition in general. But there’s an outstanding question:

What will Biometrica do with the 2.5 million images?

  • Use them for algorithmic training? 
  • Allow other agencies to search them?
  • Something else?
  • And what happens to the images if another company acquires Biometrica and/or its data? (See 23andMe.)

Biometrica didn’t respond to a request for comment.

And other facial recognition vendors operate differently.

How does your company treat customer data?

And how do you tell your story?

Do you have the resources to market your product, or are your resources already stretched thin?

If you need help with your facial recognition product marketing, Bredemarket has an opening for a facial recognition client. I can offer

  • compelling content creation
  • winning proposal development
  • actionable analysis

If Bredemarket can help your stretched staff, book a free meeting with me: https://bredemarket.com/cpa/

(Wheelbarrows from Imagen 3)