FREEDOM CODE: THE INVISIBLE WAR FOR HUMANITY’S FUTURE: Chapter 5 The Living Dossier

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Chapter 5 The Living Dossier

Scene 1: Uneasy Experiments

Prof. David sat in front of his laptop, his fingers over the keyboard, hesitating. The encrypted data Mia had uncovered seemed impossibly vast. They’d been exploring it for hours—days actually—and yet, every time they thought they understood the scale, they uncovered something even more chilling. This wasn’t just a static document, this looked like a living dossier, changing over the day as they lived their lives!

Beate sat beside him, her eyes narrowed in concentration. “It’s not just health data. It’s... everything.”

David’s heart sank as he scrolled through the file again. His initial shock had subsided into a quiet, gnawing dread. It wasn’t just his medical records. There was everything—personal details, lifestyle choices, financial transactions, social connections, even romantic affairs. It was all there, captured, analyzed, and stored forever.

“I mean, look at this,” Beate said, pointing to the screen. “There’s a list of every place I’ve been to in the last month, even the cafes I’ve visited, the drinks I’ve had, even the calories I’ve consumed. And it’s not just the usual locations I frequent. It noticed when I took a random detour through a park yesterday.”

Prof. David leaned in closer, scrolling down the page. There was an entire section dedicated to spending habits. The favourite stores, the preferred brands, the products he had returned, how often he ate meet, even the frequency at which he afforded certain luxuries—like the haute cuisine restaurant where he had celebrated his birthday a few months ago.

“We can’t be the only ones with this much information on us, can we?” David muttered. “There must be millions, perhaps even billions of dossiers out there, tracking every move, every action, every choice.”

Beate turned to him, her face pale. “This is beyond anything I’ve ever seen—and beyond everything I could imagine. It’s like we’re being watched continuously and in real time. It knows what we’re doing, even when we’re not online. I have checked: even when our phones are off.”

Prof. David felt his pulse quicken. “How is that even possible?”

Scene 2: The Digital Twin

They began testing the file, clicking through various sections and trying to make changes to see how the dossier would respond. Beate left her phone at home and went to a café on the other side of the city, while David stayed behind to run an experiment of his own. They were both curious—what would happen if they didn’t have their phones with them? Would their locations still be tracked? What if they used private browsing? Would their identity still be revealed?

When Beate returned, she checked her file. The location data still reflected the café she had visited. There were even references to the specific table she had sat at. Was that based on the sensors in the building or perhaps due to the Wi-Fi network in the room?

Beate’s eyes widened. “This isn’t just tracking through phones, is it? This is ... this is really something else. Something we don’t understand. Something we don’t have a clue about.”

Prof. David nodded. He had experimented with private browsing, in fact, using four different browsers. As it turned out, his living dossier contained entries about all of this. The system had figured out, who he was.

“But how is this working?” asked Beate.

“It must be using more than just phones.” Prof. David scratched his head. An incredible idea came to his mind. “It could be nano-sensors, or something embedded in the environment around us.”

“Nano-sensors?”, Beate asked, her eyes wide open.

Prof. David turned to presentation mode: “You have probably heard of the ‘Internet of Things’. This is about small measurement sensors connected to the Internet, collecting data about their environment. There are many millions of them around us, in smartphones, TV sets, cars, fridges, toasters… Over the years, these sensors have become smaller and smaller. In the meantime, there are sensors not bigger than 100 nanometres in size, i.e. one ten-thousandth of a millimetre. Such nano-sensors are much smaller than the diameter of a hair, in fact, invisible to the human eye!”

Beate thought about it for a long moment. “Indeed, I have recently seen a freaky TikTok video about technologies being developed to turn everyday objects into self-aware, intelligent entities. A table or toaster could be smarter than you, having philosophical debates with your guests. Given this, they could be using any number of technologies we don’t even know about. Things in our clothes, in our homes...”

“And, one day, in our bodies, too”, added Prof. David.

Beate looked up sharply. “Are you saying they could be tracking us through nano-particles?”

David didn’t answer, but he felt a chill creeping up his spine.

Scene 3: The Digital ID

As the hours passed, they dug deeper into the dossier, which seemed to grow more personal with every discovery.

“I’m starting to think it’s not just a record of my movements or activities,” Beate said. “It’s a record of who I am. My personality, my very identity.”

David stared at her, confused. “What do you mean?”

She pointed to a section they had previously overlooked—a section on biometric data. It seemed as expected at first—fingerprints, retinal scans, the usual stuff—but then there was something else, which looked like an intricate map of their bodies. It wasn’t just their height, weight, or health history—it was a blueprint. Their blood type, DNA sequence, even neurological patterns—they had all been catalogued, stored, and analyzed.

“I think this is what they mean when they talk about the ‘digital twin,’” Prof. David said, with a sinking feeling settling in his stomach. “Your physical body, your identity—it’s all in here, tied to this system. You could be identified anywhere, at any time, with just your body. A digital ID that doesn’t need a password, doesn’t need anything other than you.”

Beates mind raced. It was so much more than just convenience or security—this was total surveillance, more totalitarian than what she ever had imagined!

“You’re telling me that they track me, trace me, and control me—just based on my body?” Beate shouted, her voice thick with disbelief. “Even though our body is our password and our passport, we are not in control? It’s others! There is not even a need to chip people!”

Prof. David nodded. “Yes, we were fooled.”

“And look at this. That’s not all.” Beate scrolled to another section. Banking information, financial transactions, tied directly to the digital ID.

“It’s all connected. Your bank account, your passport, even your health insurance—it’s all embedded in one system, in real-time, and obviously linked to your QR code.”

David stared at the screen, his mind spinning. “How is this even possible? How are they gathering this data?”

Beate swallowed hard. “It’s happening because we’ve allowed this to happen. By using smartphones, by accepting ‘smart’ technology, by living in a data-driven world. We should have never trusted our government. Companies even less.”

Prof. David’s thoughts flashed through the many conferences, lectures, and research meetings he’d participated in over the years. He had always known that technology had a dark side, but this? This was a nightmare he had never considered possible!

Scene 4: Unsettling Real-Time Manipulation

David, Beate, and Mia continued to experiment over the next few days. They took deliberate steps to confuse the system, to see how it would respond. Prof. David intentionally skipped meetings in his agenda and did something else in other places. Beate changed her routines, and they both tried to go off grid. They turned their phones off, stayed away from known Wi-Fi hotspots, and made sure to avoid public places.

It did not help. The system still knew everything!

At first, it was a subtle change. When David returned home one evening after deliberately avoiding any major interactions, he opened his dossier. There it was, right at the top: an updated timestamp! The system worked real-time, as if someone would continuously be watching.

Beate clicked through her own file. It was the same. Despite the fact that she hadn’t connected to the Internet and hadn’t used her phone, the system still knew she had gone to the park earlier in the day.

“It’s updating constantly,” Prof. David said in disbelief. “How is that possible without external inputs?”

Mia, who had been following their experiments closely, joined them at Prof. David’s villa late one night. “I think we’re missing something,” she said. “There’s something we haven’t figured out yet.”

But just as she said that, another update arrived in the system. This time, it wasn’t just location data—it was activity data: new choices, new preferences, even random encounters with some people appearing in her dossier!

The system was watching them in ways they had never imagined, even without them doing anything online…

FREEDOM CODE: THE INVISIBLE WAR FOR HUMANITY’S FUTURE: Chapter 4 Collecting the Dossiers

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Chapter 4: Collecting the Dossiers

Scene 1: A New Plan

David and Beate sat across from each other in the small café. The quiet hum of conversation around them was in stark contrast to the intensity of their thoughts. They had spent the past few days trying to make sense of the genetic test results and the encrypted data that Mia had uncovered, but the more they learned, the more it seemed like they were only scratching the surface of something much bigger and darker secret.

“I can’t stop thinking about it,” David said, pushing his coffee cup aside. “That dossier—my health data, genetic analysis—how could something so personal just be out there, circulating without my knowledge?”

Beate nodded, her eyes focused on the table. “You’re perhaps not the only one. What’s worse is that your data is just one example. If this is happening to you, it might be happening to others, too, maybe even to everyone. But who’s collecting all this data, and why?”

David’s brow furrowed as he thought about their conversation with Mia. She had found so much more than just his health records—there were detailed scans, analyses of blood samples, even genetic predictions. Yet he still couldn’t understand how or why this information was being gathered and kept.

“Who else can I trust with this?” David asked quietly. “I need to know if this is happening to other people as well. This might help us to figure out what’s going on here.”

Beate looked up from her drink, her expression serious. “Do you have colleagues—people, who use QR-coded business cards as well? We could find out if their health data is also connected to their code.”

Prof. David’s eyes widened. “You’re right. I need to start asking questions—quietly. I’ll begin collecting such cards. If the QR codes on those cards are also linked to encrypted dossiers, we’ll be able to find them.”

Scene 2: The QR Business Cards

Over the next few days, David did what he was best at—he was networking. As a highly respected figure in the scientific and technological communities, he had access to a wide range of colleagues. In the past, he had given his business card to lots of people, and his colleagues had been more than happy to return him theirs.

But this time, he wasn’t just interested in names or contact information—he was looking for something much more troubling.

“Hi, Professor David,” a colleague greeted him in the hallway after a seminar. “Great talk today, as always. I’d love to stay in touch. Here is my card.”

David took the card, but instead of slipping it into his pocket as usual, he studied it carefully. The QR code on the back caught his eye. It did not really look suspicious, but that may be misleading. In fact, the code could lead to another encrypted dossier, he thought.

“Thanks,” he said, his voice smooth. “We’ll stay in touch. If I don’t see you at the conference, I’ll send you an email. Take care.”

As soon as the colleague walked away, David pulled out his phone and scanned the code.

The phone buzzed as he clicked a link that was connected to an encrypted file. His stomach dropped. He contacted Mia.

“Damn,” he muttered shortly later. The dossier was just as detailed as his own! Again, they found medical records, genetic markers, and a life expectancy prediction. He quickly glanced through the file—this wasn’t just surface-level data. It was deep, personal, and potentially dangerous, if falling into the wrong hands!

He started collecting more cards over the next few days, each one linking to a new dossier, as it turned out. He didn’t tell Beate just yet—he wanted to make sure the pattern was clear before drawing any conclusions.

Scene 3: Mia’s Breakthrough

Meanwhile, Mia was working on her end, diving deeper into the database that seemed to hold the data of everybody and the key to everything. She had been hacking relentlessly, trying to break through layers of encryption. When she finally made a breakthrough, it wasn’t just a triumph—it was a revelation!

Mia called David and Beate late in the evening. Her voice sounded urgent. “You guys need to come over and see this. I’ve found something huge!”

They arrived at her apartment to find Mia sitting in front of several monitors, the glow of the screens illuminating her face. “What have you found?” Beate asked.

Mia gestured to the largest screen. “I’ve cracked through their layers of encryption. It’s bigger than we thought. The dossiers aren’t just for doctors, scientists, and business people—they’re about every citizen. It’s all stored in one massive database!”

David stared at the screen, his heart sinking. “Wait. Are you saying this isn’t just about health records? This is…”

“… about everything,” Mia interrupted. “Addresses, previous employers, income, relatives, colleagues, friends, consumption patterns, speeding tickets, political leaning, opinions voiced, and behavioral data. It seems there are millions, if not billions of dossiers in here. It’s not just a private database. I think this is a global system.”

Beate shook her head in disbelief. “Who’s running it? Why would anyone need all this information?”

Mia leaned back in her chair, her fingers flying over the keyboard. “I haven’t cracked that part yet. But I have a feeling it’s tied to the growing influence of global health initiatives—like the ones Prof. David’s been talking about. Personalized medicine, neurotechnology, AI-driven health predictions… It’s all part of something much bigger.”

Prof. David’s mind raced. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. This wasn’t just about him or his colleagues—it was a global surveillance system, tracking everyone. He began to feel the weight of the implications pressing down on him.

“We need to figure out who’s behind this,” he said, his voice tight with determination. “Who’s running this database, and why? If this is as big as you say, it’s perhaps already too late to stop it.”

Scene 4: The First Realization

Later that night, Beate and Prof. David sat together in the dim light of his villa, staring at the encrypted data Mia had uncovered. The more they saw, the more they realized how extensive mass surveillance had become. It was beyond any imagination.

“It’s not just about health,” Beate said quietly, “this is totalitarian. Your genetic data, your health history, your behavior, even your future health and holiday predictions—it’s all being collected, analysed, and stored in this database. What if they used that data to manipulate you? What if they used it to influence your behavior, your decisions… to control you?”

Prof. David remained silent, thinking about the implications. “If they have this much data, they would use it to decide about who gets treatment, who doesn’t. They might even use it for triage, i.e. to decide who will live on and who will have to die.”

“What if they even go further that this,” Beate continued, “and use that data to control your mind? Your thoughts, your feelings, your actions! Personalized manipulation through neurotechnologies—to shape behavioral patterns. Could they make you do anything?”

David closed his eyes, his head throbbing with the weight of their discovery. “I think this is still far away, and that’s also the opinion of my colleagues. But unknowingly, I’ve perhaps even contributed to this development, this trend, this hype. It seems now, the systems we have been trying to invent are already in motion. We need to find out who’s pulling the strings, Bea. Before it’s too late.”

FREEDOM CODE: THE INVISIBLE WAR FOR HUMANITY’S FUTURE: Chapter 3 Hidden Data

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Chapter 3: Hidden Data

Scene 1: The Interrupted Conversation

Beate and Prof. David sat in the small coffee shop, sipping their drinks in silence. The police action had echoed in their minds, and they were still processing what happened.

David kept his eyes focused on his drink, but his thoughts were elsewhere. "I still don’t understand what happened outside the lecture hall. Why was that Jeep behaving in such a strange way? And why was the police chasing it?" He shook his head in frustration. "It didn’t make sense."

Beate took a sip of her own drink, her gaze focused on the street outside, trying to piece things together. "Maybe it wasn’t just an ordinary police chase. There was something off about the way they reacted, almost like they were expecting the Jeep to show up."

Before Prof. David could respond, her phone vibrated. She glanced at the screen. It was an SMS from Mia, her hacker friend.

"What is it about?" Prof. David asked with a little too much curiosity, leaning in.

Beate opened the message, her eyes narrowing as she read the content aloud: “I’ve found something strange in the data. It’s about Prof. David. You need to see this.”

"Strange? About me? What do you mean?", Prof. David asked. He was quite irritated.

Beate typed back quickly. “What have you found, Mia?”

The reply came almost immediately: "It’s about his health data. There’s something he should know. Maybe he is not aware of this."

Prof. David’s face darkened. “I’m not sure I like the sound of that.”

Beate sensed the tension. “I think we need to meet with her.”

Scene 2: The Discovery

Later that evening, they met Mia in a quiet, dimly lit café. She had her laptop open, and the curiosity was rising. Mia quickly gestured for them to sit down.

"You need to see this," Mia said, her voice low. "I’ve dug deeper into the data linked to the QR code. There is more data than you may be aware of, Prof. David. Your health records, genetic information, even personal details… I think that shouldn’t be out there."

Prof. David frowned. "I don’t know what you are talking about. I’ve never done a genetic test. I’m healthy, Mia. What’s going on?"

Mia tapped a few keys, pulling up a document on the screen. "Take a look at this. There’s a genetic profile—it’s yours. It mentions your relatives, even distant ones, hundreds of years back. It says everything about your predisposition to certain diseases and what you are likely to die of. It even gives an estimated lifespan based on your genetic code: you are going to get 88 years old!"

David stared at the screen. Despite the good news that he had still 4 decades to live, his face turned pale. "That’s… impossible! I’ve never given anyone permission to run such tests on me. This data must be a mistake."

But as he scrolled through the document, something caught his eye. A series of X-rays that looked all too familiar. They were from a hiking accident some years ago, when he broke his arm twice and in a very specific way—something that was certainly related to him.

Prof. David rubbed his face, trying to make sense of it. "These… these are my X-rays. This is my data."

Mia shook her head. "But not just that. The health file doesn’t stop there. It includes detailed scans, also blood tests. There’s stuff here I can’t explain. It seems all tied to you. The question is, who put this together and why?"

David leaned back in his chair, his mind racing. "This is insane. I’ve never had any of this done. This must be someone else’s data—perhaps someone with a similar medical history."

Mia didn’t respond. Instead, she stared at the screen, her face growing more concerned. "The more I dig into this, the more I’m convinced this isn’t just a case of mistaken identity. This is a dossier, a comprehensive health and genetic record that’s been created about you—and it’s been circulating undetected."

David clenched his jaw. "I have to find out who did this—and how!"

Scene 3: The Gene Test

David couldn’t shake the feeling that the data in front of him, though unsettling, might have been misinterpreted. He decided to take a step that would, for better or worse, reveal the truth: he would make a genetic test himself.

“I’ll get it done,” he said, resolve hardening in his voice. “We need to see if this data matches anything I actually know about myself.”

Beate was sceptical. “Are you sure? This could open Pandora’s box. You’re already digging into something you might not be able to undo.”

Prof. David nodded. "I have to know if this data is really mine. If it is, then we have a bigger problem. And if it’s not, well, we need to understand who’s behind this and why they’d fabricated something like this about me."

A few days later, David received the results. He and Beate sat down together, the envelope in his hand. With a quick glance at each other, they tore it open.

David scanned the paper, his face getting paler with each line. "It’s my genetic code—every part of it, down to the smallest detail. It’s really mine! But the conclusions are… disturbing."

On top of this, the report showed an expected lifespan of 58 years. Only 10 more years to go! This was much shorter than David had anticipated, based on the previous genetic record they had seen and also based on his family history. His genetic test predicted a high risk of a rare disease, one he’d never considered.

David put the report down. His mind was racing. “I always knew genetic tests could vary, but I didn’t think life expectancy could vary so drastically. The predictions here… they’re shocking, so much different from what I expected.”

Beate looked at him carefully. "Could this change your health insurance rates?"

David rubbed his temples. "Of course! That’s the least of my concerns right now. I can’t help but wonder what other inferences could be made from my genes, and what they might mean for the rest of my life."