If you’ve done something criminal in the past, or might have an interest in doing something criminal in the future, try to avoid the McAllen, Texas, Border Patrol station next month. For two weeks, Homeland Security will be testing a new generation of iris scanners as a faster alternative to fingerprints. Whereas old cameras had to snap an image from a few inches away, these can capture a scan from three to four feet away, including one that works for people just walking by. Once an image is scanned, it’s stored in a digital database. You just walk up to, or ostensibly by, a wall-mounted box and the process is complete. This is the same technology that the military used to track Iraqi militants and to identify priority passengers in airports. In Homeland Security’s case, they’ll be testing it on illegal immigrants. This has been a public service announcement from your friendly Intel enabler.
