Slashdot Mirror
Biometrics in Airports
asv108 writes: "Extremetech has an article by renowned security expert Bruce Schneier about why face recognition in public places such as airports is not a good idea." Schneier is being generous - real world results show that facial recognition systems are a lot less than 99.99% accurate even under laboratory conditions (people posing for the camera under ideal lighting).
According to the FAS website, the KH-12 "IMPROVED CRYSTAL", which is the best the US has in orbit, can..."readily identify and distinguish differing types of vehicles and equipment with resolutions better than 10 centimeters."
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So unless you are playing with big cards, I doubt the Man can read your hand.
The optical sensors like KH-11/KH-12 can't see through clouds, so they also have the Lacrosse series, which use Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) to image thier targets.
http://www.fas.org/spp/military/program/imint/l
http://www.fas.org/spp/military/program/imint/k
Anthrax isn't deliverable by water. Your worst fear should be clouds of anthrax delivered via air, since anthrax:
;) If we don't have enough vaccine for everyone, why the hell not? Anthrax has been well known to be a major bio warfare hazard for years, and the vaccine has likewise been known for years. Livestock handlers and livestock have been getting vaccinated for anthrax for ages.
*lasts 30-40 years in the open
*is easy to produce
*is infectious in miniscule amounts
*when inhaled is nearly 100% fatal once symptoms occur, regardless of treatment
*the US government isn't letting anyone but the military be vaccinated!
Vaccination appears to provide a 95%+ immunity to airborn anthrax (evidence is sketchy for humans, since we don't experiment with infecting the vaccinated