Minority Report Style Iris Scanners In Mexico 187
TheRealPacmanJones writes "Biometrics R&D firm Global Rainmakers Inc. (GRI) announced today that it is rolling out its iris scanning technology to create what it calls 'the most secure city in the world.' In a partnership with Leon, one of the largest cities in Mexico with a population of more than a million, GRI will fill the city with eye-scanners. The scanners will help revolutionize law enforcement not to mention marketing."
Phooey. (Score:3, Insightful)
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To quote one of my favourite movies,
"Boy, do I hate being right all the time!"
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"I had a guaranteed Mexican sale with ED209! Renovation program! Spare parts for 25 years! Who cares if it worked or not"!
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"God creates dinosaurs; God destroys dinosaurs; God creates Man; Man destroys God; Man creates dinosaurs."
"...Dinosaurs eat Man; Woman inherits the Earth."
Which film? (Score:2)
One film that showed how to circumvent this was "Demolition Man", where the character played by Wesley Snipes uses an eyeball torn off a doctor to open a door.
Are there any other films using the same idea? It seems pretty obvious to me.
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Then maybe that's why Simon Phoenix stuck the eyeball on a fountain pen in that film. He could use ink pressure to compensate for blood pressure loss.
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More scanners will result in more sales, until the governments mandate you must not hide your eyes.
It wouldn't be too far removed from France's burqa ban.
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passing a sensor check against a central db would be required to enter any govt building at first (hospitals etc). then it will migrate to pubs. then "fake eyes" will start appearing.
then districts will be separated with scanners that you must pass to move from to another, then, in some locations, this will change down to block level or even house level.
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Soooo, you don't watch SCIFI shows much do you? That's what they are all about.
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Soooo, you don't watch SCIFI shows much do you? That's what they are all about.
Actually, I do, and I read even more. But that's irrelevant. Not everything that you read or see that purports to be "science" fiction is likely to occur, ever will occur, or is even possible in the first place. For that matter, much good sci-fi has nothing whatsoever to do with what is likely to happen to us (humanity, I mean.)
Sometimes they get lucky, though, and hit closer to home than we would like. That's not generally by accident: a good sci-fi author keeps up with his science, stays abreast of rec
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Sunglasses? (Score:2)
"Sir ... he just ... disappeared!"
(Or even: "Señor .... ha .... disapericido!")
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I can't recall any iris scanner in the original story ...
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Exactly. Dick is the prophet here, not a crappy movie
{sigh} you're nitpickers, both of you.
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I hate it when filmmakers are just a little too prophetic.
The purpose of science fiction is not to predict the future, but warn about it.
That's only one of many things that science fiction can do. Not all sci-fi writers are trying to warn us about something. Not all even have anything particularly important to say. Heck, a fantasy novel can warn about the future ... it's just that if the storyline is based around real science, well, it's much more plausible.
Oookay. (Score:4, Insightful)
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Sunglasses and spray paint as the new hot selling items.
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Or wear sunglasses that are made of... glass. (opaque to IR)
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Personally, I wear my sunglasses at night. So I can see.
Don't switch the blade on the guy in shades... (Score:2)
But the first thing I do when I get up out of bed, is hit that streets a-runnin' and try to beat the masses... [youtube.com]
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...the light.
Secure? (Score:5, Interesting)
'the most secure city in the world.'
Not if you live, work or visit there. They need basic protections from drug gangs and their corrupt government, military and police. They don't need these scanners, they need millions of bullet proof vests.
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They need an effective police state, and a Pinochet, a Franco, or other ruler who has enough leverage to kill anyone who is a threat to good citizens.
There is a point where the strictly limited and extremely restrained legalistic ways which are practical in stable countries do not work.
War, not law, is then necessary to kill and destroy the enemies of the people. Mexico is a failed state, and the way to put those in order is to give orders, enforce them with force, and ensure the narco-warlords are killed s
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Oh, we understand the concept. Look what happened to Iraq when we overthrew Saddam. We broke it, we bought it.
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Which is why we should have left it alone. Iraq was contained (containment is considered acceptable for vastly worse North Korea), and stable.
Invading Iraq merely drained our Treasury and damaged our economy with the only useful outcome being the continuation of the petrodollar.
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Don't forget the Military Industrial Complex, gotta keep that chuggin' away.
Somehow I think that overthrowing North Korea would be more like trying to overthrow Scientology. That country is going to need some heavy counseling when it wakes up from it's bad dream.
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That is not remotely practical.
That kind of social cleansing MUST come from a motivated indigenous movement, able to penetrate all levels of society, act in detail, and persist to secure the results.
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I feel like it's redundant to point out examples of the kind of thing you're talking about since you already mentioned Pinochet or Franco. Nevertheless, I'm going to point out that what you're talking about is exactly what the Taliban were, and look how well they worked out!
How about, instead of giving up on Mexico as a failed state, give up on drug prohibition as a failed policy. Prohibition of things that people simply are not going to stop paying for just doesn't work. Didn't work for alchohol. The human
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The Taliban are suitable to Afghanistan, and ideally adapted to maintain order among other primitive people. Don't forget that religion IS suitable to primitives which is why it preceded more enlightened ideas. Their only objectionable act was providing basing for Al Qaeda to use against the US.
As for Franco, he saved Spain from Stalinism and again from involvement in WWII. He did a fine job killing Communists, which was the way one had to deal with them at the time. Pinochet also dealt effectively with Mar
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heya,
I see this scenario paraded about a lot by the "legalise drugs" crowd. The thing is, if you suddenly make drugs legal, firstly, as you pointed out, things won't change right away.
Secondly however, all those people who do nasty illegal things for drugs (either the producers or the users) aren't suddently going to go away either.
The thing is, a drug warlord is, well...err...a criminal? it's not like they're suddenly going to get up one day and thing, gee, drugs aren't illegal anymore, well, I'm done a lo
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> All this c*ap about "safe levels" is absurd - you're inbibing a psycho-active substance, the only real "safe" level that doesn't affect you is none. I mean, if it didn't have a psycho-active effect, would you even really be taking it?
100% wrong. You are confusing the terms "safe" and "active". It's the same as with medicine: you can overdose on medication too, but that doesn't imply that there can't be safe levels. The psycho-active effects are the WHOLE POINT of taking drugs.
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Couldn't you be honest and simply demand all of our oil for free?
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trivial crime rates and large part of population in prisons. it's a bit sad that you have to compare world's most advanced country to the one that can't really hold together on its own ;)
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I am too, free speech lets me easily identify sociopaths and general nutcases I don't want to be around quite often.
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So... you think you can just dominate problems away. Interesting. Say - you wouldn't be one of those conservatives you thinks that liberals are just a bunch of control freaks, would you?
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Catholicism is compatible with degenerate local beliefs, which is why it thrives in backward areas and why it is recruiting in the Third World even as it loses parishes in modern countries.
Note the amusing mixture of Catholicism and local religions throughout Latin America.
Re:Secure? (Score:5, Insightful)
They need their big rich neighbor in the North to decriminalize recreational drugs.
Chicago was also a violent and corrupt city when the recreational use of ethanol was unconstitutional.
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Not really. IN fact, most crime dropped, and domestic crime just about disappeared.
Criminal on criminal violence amongst rival importers was bad. However, even when it wasn't bad it would be put on headlines and twisted to seem worse.
My thought was that the papers didn't like the sever drop in revenue from the alcohol ad loss.
At least then the criminal had the decency to try and keep it among themselves.
Re:Secure? (Score:5, Informative)
Actually, Leon isn't a drug lord infested stink hole like some other parts of Mexico. It's slogan was (until recently) "The best city for living in!" And it's really kind of true. The state that it's in was one of the first to throw off the shackles of the ruling PRI (you know, they guys that never gave up power after the Mexican revolution), and it progressed as a result. The previous president of Mexico (Fox, the first non-PRI president in those 71 years) was from the outskirts of Leon. Their public transportation (non-subway) system is a model for the world, and it's being adopted for many parts of Mexico City (where I currently live, and is a shithole, even the "exclusive" neighborhood where corporate housing has me). Potable water, good infrastructure, lots of various industry, a very good, middle-class standard of living, and less-than-average corruption in their police force.
Generally speaking, Leon is /already/ one of the safest cities in Mexico.
I go to Leon quite extensively, and so the iris scanner thing actually kind of gives me the heebie-jeebies.
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Price of Sunglasses and colored cotacts way up (Score:2)
Time to buy stock in sunglass and colored contact manufacturers.
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Scott: Go on through agent, the scanner can read blood vessel patterns right through your sunglasses.
what a joke (Score:4, Funny)
Mexico is a failed state well on its way to anarchy. This is a country that can't even keep its police chiefs from getting assassinated by drug cartel thugs, and they think iris scanners are going to make a damned bit of difference? Give me a break.
Re:what a joke (Score:4, Funny)
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5. drop the iris scanner you planned to throw at the attacker next so you can run faster. for bonus points look at it for a moment, then scream "zomg, it's gonna BLOW UP" before dropping it.
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and they think iris scanners are going to make a damned bit of difference?
Yes, they are going to make a difference! For the official(s) that took the bribe to push this ahead and for the company providing the scanners. How big the difference ? For certain, more than a bit, but I can't say how big.
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Mexico is a failed state well on its way to anarchy. This is a country that can't even keep its police chiefs from getting assassinated by drug cartel thugs, and they think iris scanners are going to make a damned bit of difference? Give me a break.
This comment fully deserves a +5 score, but why is it modded as "Funny"? This is not funny, it's the tragic truth of Mexico's brutal reality.
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Much the same may be said of the United States. Out of seven major signs of being a third world country with a first world public image, it is exhibiting seven.
Uh, what? A superpower in decline is NOT the same thing as a third world country. Not yet, anyways
... she could tell you how full of crap you are.
My girlfriend is from the real third world (she emigrated to the U.S. many years ago)
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Much the same may be said of the United States. Out of seven major signs of being a third world country with a first world public image, it is exhibiting seven.
An obligatory link: 10 Signs The U.S. is Becoming a Third World Country [infowars.com]
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Much the same may be said of the United States.
I'm guessing that you've never really lived in, or even visited, a real third-world country - at least not outside of the usual tourist areas.
If you had, you'd know that the stereotypical boutique comparison you're trolling is more often than not fueled by people who either:
* have a specific (radical/fascist/Utopian/bullshit) agenda to "fix" the "problems".
-or-
* want attention badly - usually for monetary gain, power, and/or notoriety (see also cable news commentators, talk radio hosts, bloggers, the not-so
Luckily.... (Score:3, Interesting)
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You beat me to it. "Secure" and "large city in the middle of a corruption-laden drug war" simply do not go together.
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Leon isn't in the drug war. Not that that can't change. What do you hear on the news? Acapulco (and that's new), Monterey, Nuevo Laredo, Cd. Juarez, Michoacan (the state), Sinaloa (the state). Guanajauto (the state that Leon is in) isn't part of that mess (nor is most of the country). In fact, it's a major tourist destination (the state, not Leon), and has a ginormous American ex-pat population. Drugs = ports and the US border.
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"Global Rainmakers Inc."
What we need in response is clearly:
"Umbrella Corporation"
What could possibly go wrong? ;)
Minority report? (Score:2)
The movie I think of when I hear about retina scanners is Demolition Man [pinballrebel.com].
I think I can speak for all of us when I say (Score:5, Insightful)
BURN IN HELL, MOTHERFUCKER!
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BURN IN HELL, MOTHERFUCKER!
Well thats his view, and he is a salesman after all. But I wonder about how unique retinas are anyway, and how reproducible retina scanning will be in the long term?
Re:I think I can speak for all of us when I say (Score:5, Insightful)
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I'm with $RANDOMLUSER.
This is evil, pure and simple.
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Do you really want to live in a world where every time you "enter your home, your car, your workspace, get a prescription filled, etc.", it's recorder in a database?
Sure. I like being marketed to with things I want and not with things I could care less about.
Do you want "every person, place and thing on this planet" (these are his quotes, not mine) recorded?
Absolutely not if they don't want it.
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BURN IN HELL, MOTHERFUCKER!
Personally, I think that a lot of this crap would just STOP if medical science would find a penis enlargement pill that actually works. Frankly, I think there are a lot of men in government and the private sector that are seriously underendowed, and have to compensate by fucking over the rest of us, as if it's our fault that Nature dealt them a ding instead of a dong.
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But wa
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Unfortunately, you speak for some of us, but not for all of us. Technology geeks develop this shit.
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So unabomber was right after all uh?
For the record, I don't approve his methods. But his manifesto is a good read.
So I suppose (Score:2)
I would have gone with... (Score:2)
I would have gone with a Barb Wire reference. Gun's version of Word Up playing in my head...
IRIS patents run out ? (Score:2)
when do the patents on IRIS recognition run out ?
I think its soon...
or now...
regards
John Jones
Well (Score:5, Informative)
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This article strikes me as a bit far-fetched. I'm curious to see if there's any news of this going anywhere in the future.
BTW, the GRI website is under the confusing name of hoyosgroup.com, and seems a bit fishy. No actual photos of staff (just generic clipart-ish silhouettes), and their claims of being able to capture a person's iris at over fifty feet moving at 1.5m/sec? Really? What kind of camera do they use for that? Just sayin'.
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Good for you!!
Actually, León was the thing that made me make the horrible mistake for voting for Fox in 2000. Is a really nice city, if they got rid of the Christian Taliban theocrats that rule the state and Leon's bishop León by far would be one of the best cities of the whole country. About the comment that the country is going down in to anarchy, for northern Mexico it is awfully true.
And he's wrong. (Score:2)
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Exactly my thoughts. The whole thing is bat-shit crazy-scary. The rationalization put forward by these people is unbelievable.
"The banks already know more about what we do in our daily life--they know what we eat, where we go, what we purchase--our deepest secrets," he says. "We're not talking about anything different here--just a system that's good for all of us."
Ad 1) Not anything different. Yeah, equally bad.
Ad 2) No, they do not. At least not in my country, Germany. Data transmitted to the bank for paym
Disguise? (Score:2)
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Why?
The center can be nice and clear. We already have contacts that cover the whole iris to make it look like an eightball or something.
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Not going far enough! (Score:2)
They need to integrate this Iris scanner with the person's location history, recent contacts and online activity and come up with a TerrorScore(tm). If it goes above a certain threshold that a Bayesian algorithm has determined will make them likely to commit criminal acts, the drones can be automatically dispatched to the location of the subject with a hellfire missile to dispose of the threat. It's like spam filtering, but for people! ;)
Just more proof that... (Score:3, Insightful)
Maybe they are just more in-tuned with the spirit of Murphy's Law than most....
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Phillip K. Dick should be required reading for all kids.
Followed very closely by Robert Heinlein (I specifically recommend this one [wikipedia.org], followed by this one [wikipedia.org].)
This is how you know they're not telling the truth (Score:2)
The end is near (Score:2)
How soon after this will everyone be required to be chipped in the hand in order buy, sell or work? Mark of the beast is coming and sheeple on the internets will welcome it with open arms because they will think that it is "cool" and subversive against the faith of their forefathers. Do you really want to become a drone?
Wake up before it's too late.
What problems for privacy do you see? (Score:2)
I don't see that many problems concerning privacy. So this system will remember when and where we went. So? It is not to be placed in our homes.
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This is a step worse than CCTV cameras (which were put up "for the safety of the public" but don't really help reduce crime). Now imagine that all this imagery is also conveniently linked to the names of people.
Some people go to the local Red Light district. Others go to their dealer. Yet others go and visit their lovers or whatnot. Yet others accidentally find themselves at
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Don't you give away your rights as well by fearing to go in said area at night?
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Hello Mr. Rodriguez and welcome back to the GAP!
"I'm sorry Mrs. Rodriquez, it appears that you just purchased those diapers and baby wipes on sale at another Wal-Mart, and are attempting to return them here for a full price refund. Please wait while I summon the police."
I've seen that happen a couple of times at Wal-Mart: the cops came in and hauled one woman and her kids away. She had a huge cartful of stuff she was trying to "return" for profit.
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Hermanos Rodriguez don't approve of iris scanning.
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No sense of humor? Tsk, tsk.
So what about cataracts (Score:2)
Your life is then over, as you cant even get a sandwich from the local burger doodle when doors no longer open for you. Or worse, it calls the police automatically for you as it traps you in the double door 'protection system'.
Naaah... That wouldn't work... (Score:2)
Everyone there wears sunglasses.