Cashless Society, Digital ID Wallets, and Expanding Surveillance in the West
Vanessa Biard-Schaefer of the Solari Report joins The New American’s Christian Gomez to break down the rapidly expanding physical and digital surveillance infrastructure in Western nations. In a surprising comparison, Schaefer explains why the U.S. network of automated license plate readers (ALPRs) and Flock cameras is actually more advanced and pervasive than Europe’s tightly restricted CCTV and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) camera networks.
The conversation then shifts to the European Union’s looming December 2026 deadline for member states to roll out the invasive EU Digital Identity Wallet. Schaefer warns that this technology is not merely a tool for banking or travel convenience, but a necessary foundational framework for Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) — designed to consolidate government control over citizens’ financial assets, purchasing ability, medical records, and private data.
