In his latest Awakening with Russell show, comedian Russell Brand warned against Amazon’s new palm payment system, noting it goes against “the concept of liberty.”
The 47-year-old actor’s latest show, titled It’s Happening, referenced how some Whole Foods stores have installed the Amazon One system, providing customers the ability to pay by a “wave of the hand.”
Amazon launched the new technology in select Whole Foods stores in California, Washington, Texas, and New York beginning in April, allowing “customers to link their palm to their debit or credit cards,” according to Grocery Dive.
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Brand described the new payment system as a “nefarious nature of Big Tech” and questioned whether it was just another “snitch” from Amazon with the intention of increasing its power and “stealing your data.”
“Move over freedom, more like,” Brand said. “It’s not only ApplePay who’s the competitor here. It’s the concept of liberty.”
“When we know Amazon have relationships with the police state, with CIA, with the FBI, with the government, have been guilty of handing over data without consent before,” Brand continued. “Ought we be querying whether or not this is simply for our convenience or right from the get-go?”
The actor noted that the public has “been drugged with convenience.”
Brand referenced multiple news pieces reporting on technology advances that only need a “wave of the hand” to complete a transaction.
“All you gotta do is, see Kyle, there’s a little device down here,” Brand pretended to tell a gullible person, using a character voice. “It’s not like it says literally in the Bible that the mark of the beast will be rendered in the palm of your hand or anything like that. Don’t worry; just walk face-first into Armageddon without questioning it. It’s convenient having an apocalypse.”
Brand further mocked reports noting the technology advancement bettering the inconvenience of pulling out a credit card while taking a jab at President Joe Biden.
“We’re not all Joe Biden that can’t carry out rudimentary, simple procedures,” Brand joked. “Are we? Or if you got nothing to hide, you’ve got nothing to fear. Just give all your data to Amazon and let them give that data to whoever they want.”
“Just wave your hand,” Brand stated again. “Let’s just hope there’s never a point when they start saying: ‘What are your political beliefs?’”
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Brand warned the technology could lead to a “social credit score.”
“‘Do you have the medications we want? Do you believe what we want you to believe? Are you interested in freedom, are you? You’re not interested in controlling your own life, are you?’” Brand questioned. “Bye, bye freedom. Bye.”
