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Bleeding Edge

by Mike Masnick

Tue, Mar 18th 2003 2:27pm





U.N. Afghan Aid Program Using Retinal Scans To Detect Fraud

from the here's-$30-and-a-retinal-scan dept

As the UN tries to aid returning refugees in Afghanistan, they're discovering (not surprisingly) that some are forging documents and going through the line more than once. To combat this, they've started using retinal scanners to determine if they've already given out aid to any individual. As the people behind the system point out - there's no nefarious purpose here - it's just to be fair to the donors. They don't have anything against those who got in line multiple times either, pointing out that it makes perfect sense to try to get as much as you can. Update: As was pointed out in a comment, it's actually iris scans, and not retinal. Sorry about that.

4 Comments | Leave a Comment..


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  1.  

    Iris, not retina

    identicon
    Doug, Mar 18th, 2003 @ 4:32pm

    They're using iris scanning. Which is a whole lot simpler, quicker, and easier than retinal scanning.

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  2.  

    Not that simple

    identicon
    dorpus, Mar 18th, 2003 @ 6:26pm

    If you've ever tried feeding poor people, you'll know that the bullies will push out the weak people and horde all the food for themselves. Then they'll make the weak do favors for them to obtain the food. So yeah, it's a great idea to enforce such a system.


    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  3.  

    Re: Iris, not retina

    icon
    Mike (profile), Mar 18th, 2003 @ 7:21pm

    Ooops. Thanks for pointing that out.

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  4.  

    Re: Iris, not retina

    identicon
    phyche, Mar 19th, 2003 @ 12:56pm

    Not to mention fewer privacy/legal issues. That's the main reason for retinal not really taking off.

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]


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