5 ms·

Fingerprints aren't even particularly useful here. Our irises are considerably more information-dense, accessible and stable over time as evidenced by the famo

by Tade0 4y ago

Fingerprints aren't even particularly useful here. Our irises are considerably more information-dense, accessible and stable over time as evidenced by the famous identification of Sharbat Gula: https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~jgd1000/afghan.html https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~jgd1000/afghan.html A close-up photo should be enough to reliably identify a person years after they went missing.

shapefrog 4y ago
> Our irises are considerably more information-dense Someone should give you free cryptocurrency for a scan of your iris.
- hugodutka 4y ago
  It’s already been done: https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2021/10/21/sam-altmans-worldcoin-wants-to-scan-your-eyes-in-exchange-for-crypto.html https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2021/10/21/sam-altmans-worldcoin-wa...
  - JadoJodo 4y ago
    I suspect GP was being facetious.
    - klyrs 4y ago
      Poe's law strikes again. Any joke about crypto scams has already been implemented for real...
  - kelseyfrog 4y ago
    As someone who wants to enter and profit from the burgeoning underground iris transplantation economy, where do I start? I get the sense that there is an arbitrage opportunity between the cost of eye surgery and crypto returns but exactly how do I capitalize on this?
  - sblom 4y ago
    (That was the joke.)
    - Dylan16807 4y ago
      Still worth linking because that is quite an obscure reference.
- thrr0wawayy 4y ago
  Everest uses biometrics to tie your information to your wallet. The tech is actually pretty cool in my opinion - they have the Everest ID coin itself, but I am more interested in the identity management part of it. I'm not sure I'm 100% on board, but the tech is really interesting and their approach to privacy seems much better than I would expect from an offering like that. The aim is to be able to offer Know Your Customer using their identity platform to a mulititude of services. Everest.org is their site
Silica6149 4y ago
Did not know that! How easily can irises be identified in person, though? Has a handheld scanner been developed yet? Fingerprints can also be left on objects, which can be helpful for tracking someone.
- NullPrefix 4y ago
  Regular photo camera can take photos of irises
- Tade0 4y ago
  > Has a handheld scanner been developed yet? Yes - I used one as far back as in 2010 on a science fair where we enrolled people to a research database. A phone camera close-up should be enough in the right conditions, but additionally Samsung's Galaxy line used to include and iris scanner, which was just a near-infrared LED and a camera.
- x86_64Ubuntu 4y ago
  Yes, they were using them to catalog folks in Afghanistan https://www.wired.com/2010/09/afghan-biometric-dragnet-could-snag-millions/ https://www.wired.com/2010/09/afghan-biometric-dragnet-could... Of course, the Taliban were able to seize this collection of data. https://theintercept.com/2021/08/17/afghanistan-taliban-military-biometrics/ https://theintercept.com/2021/08/17/afghanistan-taliban-mili...
SapporoChris 4y ago
While most people do have stable iris patterns it is not the case for everyone. Numerous conditions can cause changes in the eyes. Glaucoma being the most obvious one, but there are a whole host of other conditions like lisch nodules, Uveal melanoma, etc. However, perhaps with training, identification could be made in spite of changes to the iris.
- lwswl 4y ago
  Interesting
- Tade0 4y ago
  The algorithms used are pretty robust - your typical iris scan won't be done with a fully opened eye and there's also the question of eyelashes. Some examples: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-outline-boundaries-show-results-of-the-iris-and-pupil-localization_fig2_339570046 https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-outline-boundaries-s...
  - SapporoChris 4y ago
    Interesting link, thank you. Sorry for the late reply. The idea of wearing camouflaged contact lenses, and the work to defeat the attempt is interesting.
lwswl 4y ago
But your irises don't tend to leave traces everywhere, and are thus only valuable for telling who you are, not where you've been. Although that depends on the number of cameras around, access to them, and how much they are recording. Fingerprints are a lot simpler and easier to access.

by Tade0 4y ago

shapefrog 4y ago

> Our irises are considerably more information-dense Someone should give you free cryptocurrency for a scan of your iris.

hugodutka 4y ago
It’s already been done: https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2021/10/21/sam-altmans-worldcoin-wants-to-scan-your-eyes-in-exchange-for-crypto.html https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2021/10/21/sam-altmans-worldcoin-wa...
- JadoJodo 4y ago
  I suspect GP was being facetious.
  - klyrs 4y ago
    Poe's law strikes again. Any joke about crypto scams has already been implemented for real...
- kelseyfrog 4y ago
  As someone who wants to enter and profit from the burgeoning underground iris transplantation economy, where do I start? I get the sense that there is an arbitrage opportunity between the cost of eye surgery and crypto returns but exactly how do I capitalize on this?
- sblom 4y ago
  (That was the joke.)
  - Dylan16807 4y ago
    Still worth linking because that is quite an obscure reference.
thrr0wawayy 4y ago
Everest uses biometrics to tie your information to your wallet. The tech is actually pretty cool in my opinion - they have the Everest ID coin itself, but I am more interested in the identity management part of it. I'm not sure I'm 100% on board, but the tech is really interesting and their approach to privacy seems much better than I would expect from an offering like that. The aim is to be able to offer Know Your Customer using their identity platform to a mulititude of services. Everest.org is their site

Silica6149 4y ago

Did not know that! How easily can irises be identified in person, though? Has a handheld scanner been developed yet? Fingerprints can also be left on objects, which can be helpful for tracking someone.

NullPrefix 4y ago
Regular photo camera can take photos of irises
Tade0 4y ago
> Has a handheld scanner been developed yet? Yes - I used one as far back as in 2010 on a science fair where we enrolled people to a research database. A phone camera close-up should be enough in the right conditions, but additionally Samsung's Galaxy line used to include and iris scanner, which was just a near-infrared LED and a camera.
x86_64Ubuntu 4y ago
Yes, they were using them to catalog folks in Afghanistan https://www.wired.com/2010/09/afghan-biometric-dragnet-could-snag-millions/ https://www.wired.com/2010/09/afghan-biometric-dragnet-could... Of course, the Taliban were able to seize this collection of data. https://theintercept.com/2021/08/17/afghanistan-taliban-military-biometrics/ https://theintercept.com/2021/08/17/afghanistan-taliban-mili...

SapporoChris 4y ago

While most people do have stable iris patterns it is not the case for everyone. Numerous conditions can cause changes in the eyes. Glaucoma being the most obvious one, but there are a whole host of other conditions like lisch nodules, Uveal melanoma, etc. However, perhaps with training, identification could be made in spite of changes to the iris.

lwswl 4y ago
Interesting
Tade0 4y ago
The algorithms used are pretty robust - your typical iris scan won't be done with a fully opened eye and there's also the question of eyelashes. Some examples: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-outline-boundaries-show-results-of-the-iris-and-pupil-localization_fig2_339570046 https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-outline-boundaries-s...
- SapporoChris 4y ago
  Interesting link, thank you. Sorry for the late reply. The idea of wearing camouflaged contact lenses, and the work to defeat the attempt is interesting.

lwswl 4y ago

But your irises don't tend to leave traces everywhere, and are thus only valuable for telling who you are, not where you've been. Although that depends on the number of cameras around, access to them, and how much they are recording. Fingerprints are a lot simpler and easier to access.