Blog note. A mark on the forehead would be next to the eyes (iris scan), a mark on the right hand would be next to a finger print scan. How easy would it be to scan both the beast’s mark/name/number and eye/fingers at the same time for biometric verification, validation and approval to buy/sell?

Revelation 13:16 … And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

Revelation 14:9 … And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

Revelation 20:4 … And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

The use of both biometric facial (iris scans) and fingerprint (hand scans) achieves 99.95% verification accuracy!

(Emphasis added).

End of note.

Saudi Arabia looks to biometric technology to facilitate tourism ambitions

After pilot programme to allow South East Asia travellers to file biometric data before departure, Saudi Arabia looks to develop a centralised system for customs, immigration and police to share documentation.

Arabian Business. October 15, 2018. Shayan Shakeel

A pilot programme allowing religious tourists to file biometric data in their home countries has been hailed as a success, according to the Saudi Ministry of Interior, and the country will look to further grow the role of technology in its bid to ease arrivals into the country.

“For the past year we have been working to allow religious tourists from Indonesia and Malaysia to file biometric data in their home countries. That pilot initiative has been a success and we will now look to expand the programme to other countries soon,” said Naji Mohammed Al Qahtani, director general of IT at the Saudi Ministry of Interior told Arabian Business.

“Tourists from those countries clear immigration much earlier than before when they had to provide finger prints and data on arrival into Saudi Arabia, and this has helped reduce the long queues at the airport during peak Hajj and Umrah seasons,” he added. Al Qahtani was speaking to Arabian Business on the first day of the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) being held in Dubai from October 14-18 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

“The success of the initiative is also giving us the motivation to pursue other ways to faciliate tourist arrivals into the country,” Al Qahtani added. Among those initiatives are a centralised platform through which Saudi authorities including customs, immigration and police, can communicate and share data and documentation.

“This is now a top priority for the MoI. It will make travelling to the country easier, and will also improve the efficiency of services between the various government departments,” Al Qahtani added. Saudi Arabia is working to boost religious tourism in the country, announcing $50 billion in initiatives to attract 30 million visitors by 2030. Tourism currently accounts for roughly 3.5 percent of the country’s GDP. Saudi Arabia is investing significantly in religious heritage sights, aviation, as well as hospitality offerings around the country.

The country’s 2020 National Transformation Plan and Vision 2030 initiative place a major impetus on boosting tourism’s contribution to the economy as it looks diversify away from its dependence on oil revenues. The Saudi Ministry of Interior’s pavillion at GITEX has been designed to depict a future vision of how the country is looking to become “smarter” in its plans to handle a growing number of tourists into the country.

“It is essential as we look to achieve vision 2030 that all Saudi government agencies are able to communicate with each other through secure channels that improve the efficiency of process,” Al Qahtani said.