The eyes have it for techno fascists

Our own Kris Kotarski in the Calgary Herald:

Images Every once in a while you come across a story that will make the hair on the back of your neck stand on end as soon as you read the first couple of paragraphs. Sadly, this is one of those stories.

Last week, business and technology journal Fast Company reported that a U.S. company named Global Rainmakers Inc. is embarking on a grand techno-fascist project in Leon, Mexico, where it will roll out iris-scanning technology to create what it calls “the most secure city in the world.”

When the million-plus residents of Leon go to the bank, get on a bus or walk into a medical clinic, their eyes will be scanned by machines that can handle up to 50 people per minute in motion, automatically entering the information into a central database monitored by the police.

Jeff Carter, the CDO of GRI, is enthusiastic.

“In the future, whether it's entering your home, opening your car, entering your workspace, getting a pharmacy prescription refilled, or having your medical records pulled up, everything will come off that unique key that is your iris,” he told Fast Company.

“Every person, place, and thing on this planet will be connected (to the iris system) within the next 10 years,” he added.

More here.