Business
Digital ID in sports: Detroit Pistons Partner with Digital ID Company to Implement Biometric Verification

Digital ID is entering more aspects of everyday life.
The Detroit Pistons, enjoying one of their most competitive seasons in years, are embracing a digital transformation with a partnership with ID.me, a company specializing in biometric ID verification and digital identity wallets. This move reflects a growing trend in professional sports, where teams are adopting digital identity tools under the guise of enhancing fan experience but also expanding the use of biometric systems in everyday activities.
More:Ā Biometric Entry For Major League Baseball Games is Becoming More Prevalent Through this collaboration, the Pistons will deploy ID.meās technology to streamline services for their community, including season ticket holders, loyalty program members, and groups like teachers, nurses, and military personnel. According to the Pistons, biometric verification will ensure that benefits, tickets, and exclusive offers reach actual fans rather than being snatched up by bots and scalpers. āID.me is thrilled to help Detroit Pistons fans access tickets and special offers in a more secure, frictionless way,āĀ said Taylor Liggett, chief growth officer at ID.me. He emphasized how digital identity wallets combat increasingly sophisticated fraud attempts by bad actors in the ticketing market. Adam Falkson, Vice President of Business Intelligence for the Pistons, framed the partnership as a response to evolving threats. āLike most industries, the risk and sophistication around fraud continues to be a threat and a challenge,ā he said. Falkson added that the shared vision with ID.me is to protect customers while enhancing services in a secure and gated manner. However, critics have noted that the growing adoption of digital ID systems in sports goes beyond ticket security, potentially normalizing the use of biometrics in everyday transactions. Sports franchises are increasingly positioning biometric verification as essential for modern fan experiences, extending its use to concessions, merchandise, alcohol purchases, and VIP access. ID.me, which has recently seen a surge in partnerships, views sports as a fertile ground for advancing its technology. The adoption of these systems aligns with the industry’s broader trend of integrating biometrics into live events, framing it as a way to āstrengthen fan relationshipsā and streamline services. While the Detroit Pistons and ID.me tout the convenience and security of such systems, the broader implications of tying everyday activities to biometric verification risks the growth of a checkpoint society. |
Business
U.S. Seizes Fentanyl Shipment From Canada In Seattle, As Washington Pressures Ottawa on Crime Networks

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers have intercepted a shipment containing more than one pound of fentanyl from Canada, marking the latest sign of an accelerating crisis along the BC-Washington border. The fentanyl, concealed within a package believed to have originated in British Columbia, was discovered during a targeted enforcement operation at a Seattle shipping facility on February 6.
The package contained a brown, rock-like substance wrapped in plastic bags. Subsequent testing confirmed it was fentanyl, the synthetic opioid driving tens of thousands of overdose deaths in North America each year.
Area Port Director Rene Ortega, speaking about the seizure, underscored its broader implications. āFentanyl is an extremely dangerous synthetic drug that continues to devastate communities across the United States,ā Ortega said. āCBP remains committed to using every available tool to stop these lethal substances before they reach our streets.ā
The latest seizure is part of an escalating pattern that has prompted increasingly aggressive responses from Washington. President Donald Trump has warned of sweeping tariffs in the coming weeks unless Ottawa delivers a credible, actionable plan to crack down on transnational crime networks driving fentanyl production. These networksāoperating primarily out of British Columbiaāare deeply entrenched with organized crime groups from China and Mexico.
The BureauĀ has reported extensively on Washingtonās mounting frustration with Canadaās handling of the fentanyl crisis. BC Mayor Brad West, who has been in direct communication with senior U.S. officials, has described an urgent shift in tone from American law enforcement and intelligence agencies. In a high-level 2023 meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, West was briefed on just how seriously Washington views Canadaās role in the illicit drug trade.
āThis is no longer just a Canadian domestic issue,ā West toldĀ The Bureau. āSecretary Blinken made it clear that the Biden administration sees fentanyl as an existential threat. Theyāre building a global coalition and need Canada fully on board. If we donāt show real progress, the U.S. will protect itself by any meansātariffs or otherwise.ā
Concerns extend beyond law enforcement. According to multiple sources with direct knowledge of U.S. intelligence assessments, American agencies have begun withholding key evidence from their Canadian counterparts, citing a lack of confidence that Ottawa will act on it. West confirmed that in his ongoing discussions with senior U.S. officials, they have voiced alarm over the level of access major figures in Asian organized crime appear to have within Canadaās political class.
āTheyāre basically asking, āWhatās going on in Canada?āā West said.
The frustration is not new. For years, U.S. and international law enforcement agencies have sought to curb the transnational reach of organizations like Sam Gor, the powerful Asian organized crime syndicate that dominates much of the fentanyl precursor supply chain. But Canadaās response has been widely seen as inadequate. Critics argue that political sensitivities and reluctance to confront entrenched criminal networks have left Canadian law enforcement hamstrung.
The question now is whether Ottawa will take decisive action. Bringing forward measures as sweeping as a RICO-style anti-mafia statute or invoking the notwithstanding clause to bypass legal obstacles to tougher enforcement would represent a sharp departure from the status quo. Both approaches would require confronting entrenched political, legal and economic interests, as well as explaining why existing laws have failed to secure convictions against the most powerful actors in organized crime.
West believes the shifting geopolitical landscape may force Ottawaās hand. Washingtonās patience, he warns, ran thin years agoāand the U.S. is now signaling it will no longer wait.
The Bureau is a reader-supported publication.
To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Business
USAID funnelled $472 million into Soros-backed media censorship group: report

From LifeSiteNews
A newly released Wikileaks report has revealed that the beleaguered U.S. Agency for International Development directed almost half a billion dollars to Internews, a left-wing media training non-profit group founded by a self-described Marxist activist.
The controversial U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) directed more than $472 million to an international media non-profit that promotes left-wing narratives and endorses censorship of so-called ādisinformation,ā according to a recent Wikileaks report.
The Internews NetworkĀ describes its mission as providing everyone with ātrustworthy news and information to make informed decisions,ā by ātrain[ing] journalists and digital rights activists, advanc[ing] internet freedom, and offer[ing] business expertise to help media companies become financially sustainable.ā It boasts offices in 30 nations and support for āindependentā media in more than 100.
In 2014, NewsBustersĀ reportedĀ that Internews was āwas founded by a self-described Marxist anti-war protesterā and had gotten the vast majority of its revenue from government grants through programs such as USAID, although leftist financier George Soros also donated millions to it.
On February 7, WikileaksĀ reportedĀ that Internews had received $472.6 million from USAID alone as of 2023, that year producing ā4,799 hours of broadcasts reaching up to 778 million peopleā through 4,291 different media outlets, as well as training more than 9,000 journalists.
During a 2023 World Economic Forum (WEF) panel in Davos, Switzerland, Internews President and CEO Jeanne BourgaultĀ declaredĀ that āgendered disinformationā was āone of the most terrifyingā types of online āmisinformation,ā which platforms had a responsibility to police through ācontent moderation,ā and advertisers had an obligation to pressure platforms to restrict in thee name of āhelp[ing] democracy.ā
BourgaultĀ expressedĀ similar sentiments at Davos the following year, arguing that ādisinformation makes money and we need to follow that money and we need to work with, in particular, the global advertising industry.ā She advocated āexclusion lists or inclusion lists just to really try to ā¦ focus their ad dollars towardā what she called the āgood news and information.ā
āAnd those are U.S. news sites that operate on social media. And those are U.S. news sites. This is the basis of lawsuits here in the U.S. like Daily Wire and the Federalist suing the State Department because U.S. news sites are in these advertiser blacklists,ā cybersecurity expert and Foundation For Freedom Online Executive Director Mike BenzĀ toldĀ podcaster Joe Rogan this week. āThis is top-down U.S. government policy from the White House and Iāll show you the documents on that to the White House executive branch agencies like USAID and State.ā
The Trump State Department recentlyĀ issuedĀ a 90-day freeze on foreign aid disbursed through USAID,Ā citing millionsĀ in waste and ideologically-biased programs. With exceptions for certain food programs and military aid to Israel and Egypt, the pause is meant to give the administration time to conduct a more thorough review of foreign aid to determine what permanent cuts should be made.
While presented in the media as simply a source of basic care for the poor and sick, USAIDĀ has long funneled millionsĀ to waste, frivolity, LGBT activism, abortion promotion, and even groups tied to terrorism.
The pause is part of a broader review of federal executive-branch spending currently being spearheaded by Elon Muskās Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) advisory project. Last weekend, a federal judgeĀ temporarily blocked the administration from putting USAID employees on paid leave, in what critics are calling a particularly extreme case of judicial overreach.
President Donald Trump alsoĀ signedĀ an executive order directing federal agencies to stop all attempts to pressure private companies to remove content.
-
Crime1 day ago
Why is Trump threatening Canada? The situation is far worse than you think!
-
Health1 day ago
Senate confirms RFK Jr. as Trumpās secretary of Health and Human Services
-
COVID-192 days ago
Canadian medical regulator drops misconduct allegations against COVID jab critic Dr. Charles Hoffe
-
Bruce Dowbiggin1 day ago
Collision Course: Boomers Love Canada. Millennials Want A Better Offer
-
Business2 days ago
Mark Carney is Planning to Hide His Revised, Sneaky Carbon Tax and This Time, No Rebates
-
Business20 hours ago
Carbon tariff proposal carries risks and consequences for Canada
-
Business2 days ago
FEMA paid for hotels housing Tren de Aragua, Laken Riley killer, Noem says
-
Health1 day ago
RFK Jr. to focus on chronic disease, healthcare costs as HHS head