this post was submitted on 09 Aug 2023
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52
Early adopters in Mexico lend their eyes to global biometric project (www.reuters.com)
submitted 11 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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cross-posted from: https://lemdro.id/post/486175 ([email protected])

Eager early adopters recently descended upon a Mexico City cafe where their eyes were scanned by a futuristic sphere, part of an ambitious project that ultimately seeks to create a unique digital identification for everyone on the planet.

Mexico is one of nearly three dozen countries where participants are allowing the sphere, outfitted with cameras and dubbed an orb, to scan their iris. The project's goal is to distinguish people from bots online, while doling out a cryptocurrency bonus as a incentive to participate.

The so-called Worldcoin project is a biometric verification tool led by Sam Altman, the chief executive of Open AI, and the crypto company he co-founded, Tools for Humanity.

This doesn't sound creepy at all... thoughts?

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[–] [email protected] 28 points 11 months ago (2 children)

It is completely creepy. Think about who is behind Open AI. That's a mixture of Elon Musk, Peter Thiel (Palantir), Microsoft and others. A right-wing, anti democratic, anti-human and purely profit oriented group. The name "Tools for Humanity" is complete sarcasm. What they do with Worldcoin smells like a modern attempt of colonization. Collecting biometry, subverting critical infrastructure (financial systems), making fake promises, blinding poor people with shiny metal balls and a little bit of money in some cases.

This can be stopped though! The Kenyan government apparently banned the project - for good.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Tools for (Dominating) Humanity

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago

Humanity as tools.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 11 months ago (4 children)

The dystopia is coming. If it's not already here.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Pretty sure it’s already here, just not as flashy and futuristic as we were expecting. Just sort of boring and tiring, trying to get through the day as it burns around us.

That’s why everyone knows what “this is the worst timeline” means.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)
[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Its been here for decades. It was already mandatory to provide an iris scan upon arrival in the US back when I visited New York in 2013. At the time, I was already baffled it was a requirement and wasn't happy, but at that moment there is nothing else to do then comply. The US probably has a very big iris scan, fingerprint and passport database of at least the western world.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

Is it required for citizens? Last I had heard they required it for non-citizens but you could opt out as a citizen (though they probably do as much as they can to make it seem like there's no choice).

It's messed up either way, and obviously DHS is going to keep pushing until they have everyone.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago (2 children)

No clue, I’m a Dutch citizen. Do your require to do an iris scan to get a passport in the USA? Might be covered there.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago (2 children)

I renewed mine a month or two ago and didn't need it, but it might vary by facility you apply at. Mercifully the tech does not yet appear to be distributed enough to do away with normal passports. You can get a "biometric" passport though, that indicates you've biometrics on record.

But yes, after a bit of research; to any US citizens, you are not required to let them confirm your identity with a fingerprint, iris, or face scan. Instead you opt out while in line to your gate and ask for alternative id validation (i.e. having a human look at your ticket and passport picture).

Sorry to the rest of the world, they slipped this stupid shit in really lowkey not too long ago. I think it was off most peoples radar if they don't travel much. Plus, you know, our burning democracy etc.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

Thanks for the insight!

[–] [email protected] 0 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Is this a NY only thing? I've never once had to do an iris scan for anything, and have a passport, DL, and everything (US citizen). I also haven't heard of anyone traveling here needing to it, though maybe it just never came up in conversation.

Also, as for replacing passports, international travel still requires one but for domestic travel, you can get a regular ID/DL in many states that acts as an ID at airports without the need of a passport.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

So the Department of Homeland Security wrote the rule that all non-citizens entering and exiting the country have to provide biometrics, so that is a national rule. That was 2019-ish I think.

As far as I understand it, the mechanics of the policy are up to the airports, so they may take photos for facial recognition against your passport photo while you're in line to go through the gate, or they have little fingerprint scanners, or iris scans.

From what I'm reading, airports that are doing this aren't dividing citizens and non-citizens but simply collecting on everyone in line as the default unless you opt out in person at that time (which you can only do as a US citizen). With something like a photo, people may not realize it's even happening which is why you've probably not heard people remark much.

As for the biometric passport, they are currently optional. They have a NFC chip like your credit card that contains all the basic info from your passport, but also includes any biometric data that has been collected. Like I say, when I applied a few months ago no biometrics were collected and I recieved your standard looking passport in the mail. So as of right now, no one is obligated to get one, but we all know how that goes.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

Biometrics are only required for certain non-citizens. Canadians aren't required to provide while visiting the US unless opting for an express pre-clearance NEXUS pass.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago

This is the boring dystopia.

No flying cars, just big trucks rolling coal.

No neon towers, just strip malls with massive parking lots.

We got the massive income inequality down.

High tech, low quality of life.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago

It’s already here

[–] [email protected] 24 points 11 months ago

Biometrics data that can't be changed in the control of questionable corporations? No way. It's gonna be sort of like Reddit: your data is our property, and in this case, it looks like they actually give you minimally in exchange.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 11 months ago

They're handing out crypto currency so you already know it's a scam before you even think about the implications of gathering this kind of biometric data.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago

🤖 I'm a bot that provides automatic summaries for articles:

Click here to see the summaryMexico is one of nearly three dozen countries where participants are allowing the sphere, outfitted with cameras and dubbed an orb, to scan their iris.

The project's goal is to distinguish people from bots online, while doling out a cryptocurrency bonus as a incentive to participate.

"(Privacy) is something that doesn't worry me too much," said Jose Incera, after allowing his iris to be scanned in exchange for the equivalent of nearly $54 in Worldcoin's cryptocurrency.

In a video interview, Sam Sadle, the public policy chief at Tools for Humanity, sought to calm worries over the project's use of personal data.

Despite the professed safeguards, the project has generated concerns over security risks, including from Agneris Sampieri, a policy analyst with digital rights group Access Now.

"They don't clearly mention the time frame in which the biometric data they collect will be processed and retained," she said, adding that the ownership of the iris code is also unclear.