Singapore Will Add Iris Scans As Identifier For Citizens And Permanent Residents Starting January 1 (channelnewsasia.com) 57
From the beginning of next year, authorities will start collecting iris images from Singapore citizens and permanent residents (PRs) when they register or re-register for their NRIC, or apply for or renew a passport, said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). From a report: The iris images will serve as another identifier to boost verification methods, in addition to the photographs and fingerprints already used on the documents. The change is part of amendments to the National Registration Act, which were passed in Parliament in November and paves the way for iris scans to be introduced progressively at Singapore's land and sea checkpoints within the next two years. In a statement on Wednesday (Dec 28), MHA said the amendments will take effect on Jan 1.
Yep, that's Singapore (Score:2)
Yeah, this is what I'd expect from Singapore.
Re: Yep, that's Singapore (Score:1)
A secular country surrounded by Muslim countries, but with a better track record of anti terrorism compared to US and EU?
Their pragmatic approach is way better than the pretentious western politics.
Re: Yep, that's Singapore (Score:1)
Singapore refuse to accept refugees.
Singapore is Smart
Be like Singapore
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Singapore refuse to accept refugees.
It's a lot more complex [population.sg] than that.
Singapore has a population of about 5.6 million of which only about 3.4 million are citizens. The rest are 1.7 million non-residents (e.g. foreign workers) and 0.5 million permanent residents.
So Singapore has a relatively massive population of foreigners. But the unemployment rate in Singapore is around 1-2%. Which flies in the face of the idea that foreigners are bad for an economy.
Now, regarding true refugees (e.g. who drift down the coast from countries like Thailand, Ca
Re: Yep, that's Singapore (Score:2)
Violators of the Geneva convention are FILTH
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Singapore is an entire country. Or did you mean a large country?
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I had to go once for work.
I farted and they caned me for two hours, sterilized me, and put me in jail for 4 months. It wasn't even a loud one, just a lil' squeaker.
Re: Yep, that's Singapore (Score:4, Interesting)
Singapore is quite a remarkable country: it is ruled by one party since it became independent, but still it has little corruption and is very proud of this fact.
The rules for society have frozen since the independence: porn just as homosexuality is forbidden, and hetero oral sex was legalized about one decade ago (until then it was forbidden as well!). Also, they still punish people by caning, another remainder of the british colonial past.
Their low corruption index is attained through two main things: an anti-corruption agency that can act independently from the government, and lots of surveillance and spying.
Singapore is what modern colonial England would look like if there were no progress in society, and I guess mainland England is slowly developing into that direction again.
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Singapore is quite a remarkable country: it is ruled by one party since it became independent, but still it has little corruption and is very proud of this fact.
It does much better than the surrounding countries at preventing low level corruption - minor government officials explicitly breaking the law in exchange for bribes. On the other hand, if corruption is defined more broadly as people in positions of power using that power for personal gain then Singapore is deeply corrupt at the very highest levels. Like North Korea, Singapore is basically owned by the descendants of the founding prime minister / dictator. For example, the current prime minister is the son
Re: Yep, that's Singapore (Score:2)
>has little corruption
You mean a country where the president holds a personal pension fund funded by people's taxes?
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I never said that Singapore was totalitarian; I meant that it was strict.
Is Singapore a good place to live if you're LGBT?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Re: Yep, that's Singapore (Score:1)
Yes and no.
LGBT is technically illegal, but the government openly pledged not to enforce it but refuse to remove the law because it might upset conservatives. No one in history have ever been charged for being LGBT.
It's probably the safest place in the world for LGBT people and there isn't anywhere you can't go in the country that would compromise your safety.
However snarky, impolite remarks, dirty looks from a minority of conservatives might be fair game.
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Apparently this isn't true; LGBT people have been charged: http://www.economist.com/blogs... [economist.com].
Never mind the repressive effects of such laws even if they aren't strictly enforced. A law is a law.
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If you are allowed to stay you have to be studying, on holiday, working or have some other really good reason for been in any normal nation.
The same is followed up for work, education, health care and tourists in most normal nations. When your work or study or holiday is over you go back to your own nation again.
As for scans, it makes it easy to see who entered, why and for how long they can stay. If they over stay they can be tracked at
Re: Yep, that's Singapore (Score:2)
Passports and legal citizenship of the first world countries are a stapple good on the black market
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The same thing the USA has been doing for a few years, you mean? When I was a resident alien with a "green card" I was required to undergo an iris scan.
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Kill them, I'd wager.
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What will they do with people who fail the eye test? Kill them, I'd wager.
They seem to like beating people with big sticks.
Re: Good! (Score:1)
I'm Singaporean. My Father in law have a stroke so he can't use the fast track automatic clearance because he can't lift his finder for authentication so he had to go through the manual queue with a customs officer clearing him.
I've seen the movies (Score:3)
This could start a vibrant market in second-hand eyeballs.
Thank goodness (Score:3)
"Singapore Will Add Iris Scans As Identifier For Citizens And Permanent Residents"
Thank goodness this will never be hacked, because biometric signatures are 100% secure and if they do get hacked you can always change th...oh, wait...
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I believe Internet access for government employees was cut off a little while ago.
That's right, no internet access anymore for government employees.
Not that it matters - there's the Great Firewall of Singapore to deal with. One that probably tracks you trying to access illicit materials and gets you arrested. Unlike say, the Chinese firewall which just blocks.
One thing that struck me while I was there was how little there was
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The main idea is to attract wealth and keep it safe. Few nations can offer that. That safe feeling covers every aspect of life.
No strangers just get to walk around like in the EU or USA.
re the "no power outages or other things."
The GCHQ has poured decades of hardware into local sites and even Australia gets to help. The power was always secure over decades or collection on China and Indonesia would have slowed
Canada's been doing this for years... (Score:3)
If you want express entry into Canada (as an American or as a Canadian), you need to submit an iris scan. Nothing crazy about that.
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All in good capatilist fun (Score:2)