As the digital landscape is quickly transforming, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Next Generation Identification (NGI) Iris Service will likely come under scrutiny for the potential infringement on privacy and civil liberties.
The service, in collaboration with Iris ID’s technology, has amassed a staggering 2.5 million identities and is burgeoning at an astonishing rate of around 100,000 new identities monthly. In addition to this, the service has access to fifteen million identities present in other federal government databases.
While this might seem like a boon for law enforcement agencies in tracking down criminals, it raises serious questions about the extent of surveillance and the potential misuse of biometric data.
The fusion of Iris ID’s technology with the FBI’s program has been ongoing since 2014. The service allows access to an enormous repository of iris biometric data coupled with fingerprint and face biometrics.
In a world where data breaches are not uncommon, the protection and ethical use of this sensitive biometric data become paramount.
There is a potential risk of this information falling into the wrong hands or being exploited in ways that infringe upon civil liberties.
The recent integration of presentation attack detection capabilities into the FBI’s service is also worthy of examination. Though intended to thwart deceptive attempts against biometric systems, the wide-reaching surveillance capabilities have tremendous downsides. There is a thin line between safeguarding national security and creating a surveillance state, which could be detrimental to the freedoms and privacy of individuals.
What’s more, Iris ID is working on mobile capabilities, which may extend the reach of this biometric data collection.
While this may be beneficial in high-volume scenarios like prisoner transportation or border control management, it also opens the door for sweeping surveillance that may not be justifiable. The accessibility and mobility of such data collection tools should be weighed carefully against the right to privacy.
Mohammed Murad, Iris ID VP of Global Business & Development, claims that the adoption of the technology is an indicator of the increasing appeal of iris recognition. However, one must ponder whether this appeal is blurring the crucial distinction between security and invasion of privacy.
Article cross-posted from Reclaim The Net.
Independent Journalism Is Dying
Ever since President Trump’s miraculous victory, we’ve heard an incessant drumbeat about how legacy media is dying. This is true. The people have awakened to the reality that they’re being lied to by the self-proclaimed “Arbiters of Truth” for the sake of political expediency, corporate self-protection, and globalist ambitions.
But even as independent journalism rises to fill the void left by legacy media, there is still a huge challenge. Those at the top of independent media like Joe Rogan, Dan Bongino, and Tucker Carlson are thriving and rightly so. They have earned their audience and the financial rewards that come from it. They’ve taken risks and worked hard to get to where they are.
For “the rest of us,” legacy media and their proxies are making it exceptionally difficult to survive, let alone thrive. They still have a stranglehold over the “fact checkers” who have a dramatic impact on readership and viewership. YouTube, Facebook, and Google still stifle us. The freer speech platforms like Rumble and 𝕏 can only reward so many of their popular content creators. For independent journalists on the outside looking in, our only recourse is to rely on affiliates and sponsors.
But even as it seems nearly impossible to make a living, there are blessings that should not be disregarded. By highlighting strong sponsors who share our America First worldview, we have been able to make lifelong connections and even a bit of revenue to help us along. This is why we enjoy symbiotic relationships with companies like MyPillow, Jase Medical, and Promised Grounds. We help them with our recommendations and they reward us with money when our audience buys from them.
The same can be said about our preparedness sponsor, Prepper All-Naturals. Their long-term storage beef has a 25-year shelf life and is made with one ingredient: All-American Beef.
Even our faith-driven precious metals sponsor helps us tremendously while also helping Americans protect their life’s savings. We are blessed to work with them.
Independent media is the future. In many ways, that future is already here. While the phrase, “the more the merrier,” does not apply to this business because there are still some bad actors in the independent media field, there are many great ones that do not get nearly enough attention. We hope to change that one content creator at a time.
Thank you and God Bless,
JD Rucker
