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Singapore Will Add Iris Scans As Identifier For Citizens And Permanent Residents Starting January 1 (channelnewsasia.com)

From the beginning of next year, authorities will start collecting iris images from Singapore citizens and permanent residents (PRs) when they register or re-register for their NRIC, or apply for or renew a passport, said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). From a report: The iris images will serve as another identifier to boost verification methods, in addition to the photographs and fingerprints already used on the documents. The change is part of amendments to the National Registration Act, which were passed in Parliament in November and paves the way for iris scans to be introduced progressively at Singapore's land and sea checkpoints within the next two years. In a statement on Wednesday (Dec 28), MHA said the amendments will take effect on Jan 1.

57 comments

  1. Yep, that's Singapore by colinrichardday · · Score: 1

    Yeah, this is what I'd expect from Singapore.

    1. Re: Yep, that's Singapore by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      A secular country surrounded by Muslim countries, but with a better track record of anti terrorism compared to US and EU?

      Their pragmatic approach is way better than the pretentious western politics.

    2. Re: Yep, that's Singapore by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Singapore refuse to accept refugees.

      Singapore is Smart

      Be like Singapore

    3. Re: Yep, that's Singapore by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Cannot compare Singapore to entire country. I am sure there is smsll city with nazi police running tight ships somewhere else in the world. Wonder how soon there going to be a body with empty eye sockets...

    4. Re: Yep, that's Singapore by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I had to go once for work.
      I farted and they caned me for two hours, sterilized me, and put me in jail for 4 months. It wasn't even a loud one, just a lil' squeaker.

    5. Re:Yep, that's Singapore by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, here's the type of comments I expect to hear from people that haven't been to Singapore.

      a) UK has had IRIS for YEARS (at least since I was expat there in 2007) - does this make them totalitarian ? It's just a method for authenticating people coming in / out of the country. Every country should do this. It's fucking stupid not to.
      b) Singapore is one of the best places to live in the world - BECAUSE they're actually tough on crime. There's a comment below about big sticks - yeah, that fuckstick was vandalizing cars in a country where the COE is $100k+ alone. Do you know what i DON'T want people doing where I live ? Fucking my stuff up. Or being fuckwits.

      Can't wait for further moronic comments. Keep it going Slashdot!

    6. Re: Yep, that's Singapore by NotInHere · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Singapore is quite a remarkable country: it is ruled by one party since it became independent, but still it has little corruption and is very proud of this fact.

      The rules for society have frozen since the independence: porn just as homosexuality is forbidden, and hetero oral sex was legalized about one decade ago (until then it was forbidden as well!). Also, they still punish people by caning, another remainder of the british colonial past.

      Their low corruption index is attained through two main things: an anti-corruption agency that can act independently from the government, and lots of surveillance and spying.

      Singapore is what modern colonial England would look like if there were no progress in society, and I guess mainland England is slowly developing into that direction again.

    7. Re:Yep, that's Singapore by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I was robbed by my cleaner, cleaner admitted it.

      Police did nothing as I was a foreigner and I was leaving.

    8. Re: Yep, that's Singapore by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Here in the US we just put farters like you into prison and call the guards away so you could enjoy some cock meat sandwich. Much more effective I'll say.

    9. Re: Yep, that's Singapore by colinrichardday · · Score: 1

      Singapore is an entire country. Or did you mean a large country?

    10. Re:Yep, that's Singapore by colinrichardday · · Score: 2

      I never said that Singapore was totalitarian; I meant that it was strict.

      Is Singapore a good place to live if you're LGBT?

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

    11. Re: Yep, that's Singapore by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm guessing here, but since you are leaving it's probably more like you didn't want to stay to extend your stay to press charges?

      How do you expect any civilised court in the world to follow up if you are not there as the only witness? And you didn't stay to follow up because the amount was probably insignificant to you compared to the personal cost of extending your stay to seek justice.

      If they had charged the cleaner without basic witness or evidence then I would consider it a broken system.

      If it is not worth your time, it's not worth the courts time. That's how every civilised court operated.

      Why do you think pick pockets like to target tourists all over the world?

      A friend got pickpocketed at Pisa in Italy by a little girl. We let it go too because we didn't want to stay for another month hanging waiting for court to get justice for a few hundred dollars. Of course we're pissed, but I don't think any country solved that problem.

    12. Re: Yep, that's Singapore by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Is it the Agency or the government (or both) do the surveillance and spying?

    13. Re: Yep, that's Singapore by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No. Don't go there, they don't want you.

    14. Re: Yep, that's Singapore by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Yes and no.

      LGBT is technically illegal, but the government openly pledged not to enforce it but refuse to remove the law because it might upset conservatives. No one in history have ever been charged for being LGBT.

      It's probably the safest place in the world for LGBT people and there isn't anywhere you can't go in the country that would compromise your safety.

      However snarky, impolite remarks, dirty looks from a minority of conservatives might be fair game.

    15. Re: Yep, that's Singapore by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Singapore is quite a remarkable country: it is ruled by one party since it became independent, but still it has little corruption and is very proud of this fact.

      It does much better than the surrounding countries at preventing low level corruption - minor government officials explicitly breaking the law in exchange for bribes. On the other hand, if corruption is defined more broadly as people in positions of power using that power for personal gain then Singapore is deeply corrupt at the very highest levels. Like North Korea, Singapore is basically owned by the descendants of the founding prime minister / dictator. For example, the current prime minister is the son of the founding prime minister. Singapore does have elections. But there is a complex network of laws limiting the ability of opposition parties to campaign effectively. The concept of freedom of speech is basically non-existent in Singapore. Back when "The Economist" put a Charlie Hebdo cartoon on it's front cover, Singapore was one of the few countries where the cover was left blank.

      The rules for society have frozen since the independence: porn just as homosexuality is forbidden, and hetero oral sex was legalized about one decade ago (until then it was forbidden as well!).

      And not just commercial porn but also taking naked photos in a private context (e.g. a wife sending her husband a naked selfie). But prostitution was and still is legal in Singapore (although prostitution related activities, such as pimping, are illegal so one has to be careful). In Singapore, speech (porn) is considered to be much more dangerous than actions (prostitution).

      Also, they still punish people by caning, another remainder of the british colonial past.

      And not just the adults but also the school children - which goes a long way toward explaining their high scores on standardized tests.

      Their low corruption index is attained through two main things: an anti-corruption agency that can act independently from the government, and lots of surveillance and spying.

      Free speech is very limited in Singapore - not just by law but also by culture. A couple years ago some British guy did a Facebook post implying that people in Singapore who can afford not to ride the public transportation generally don't (i.e. it's the poorer people in Singapore that ride the public transportation out of economic necessity) - and, while that's more or less the truth, he got run out out of the country with death threats. But corruption indexes are typically based on answers that people give on surveys. Imagine going to North Korea and asking people if they thought their government was corrupt - well, it's a lot like that in Singapore.

      The one thing that Singapore does do well is provide a strong safety net right at the very bottom of society. Of course, you're not allowed to stay in Singapore if you're a foreigner who doesn't have a job (mandatory minimum three strokes of the cane if you stay in Singapore beyond what is allowed on your government permit). But Singapore citizens who would otherwise be in desperate poverty get all kinds of aggressive help from the government. Essentially no one is homeless in Singapore - you're either going to be in government housing or a mental hospital - but not just wandering out on the street.

      Anyway, this social safety net is almost certainly a major (often overlooked) factor in the low crime (including low level corruption) rate in Singapore.

      Singapore is what modern colonial England would look like if there were no progress in society, and I guess mainland England is slowly developing into that direction again.

      There's a lot to like about Singapore and I'm grateful for everything that Singapore did for me while I was there. But, as a freedom-loving American, when I was finally able to find work that allowed me to move back to the USA, I just about kissed the ground when I got off the plane back onto American soil.

    16. Re:Yep, that's Singapore by metamatic · · Score: 1

      The same thing the USA has been doing for a few years, you mean? When I was a resident alien with a "green card" I was required to undergo an iris scan.

      --
      GCHQ Quantum Insert installed. If only our tongues were made of glass, how much more careful we would be when we speak
    17. Re: Yep, that's Singapore by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      but still it has little corruption and is very proud of this fact.

      As someone who works for a stupendous Singaporean conglomerate, cronyism is firmly entrenched despite all the PR about ethics and anti-corruption mechanisms. Not as bad as China but they're just more crafty about it.

    18. Re: Yep, that's Singapore by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      pretentious western politics

      You sound like a gigantic faggot.

    19. Re: Yep, that's Singapore by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A secular country surrounded by Muslim countries, but with a better track record of anti terrorism compared to US and EU?

      Well, Singapore is at the tip of the Malaysian peninsula. And, while Malaysia is a predominantly Muslim country, it's problems go far beyond religion. Putting it bluntly, the whole country of Malaysia is just full on bat-shit insane.

      And then there's the (huge) islands of Indonesia all down to the south. Indonesia is, of course, also predominantly Muslim. But mostly it's just huge (4th largest by population after the USA) and very very poor - still not really recovered from decades of anti-communist / anti-Chinese dictatorship - not that the Dutch ("East India Company") did it any favors before that (i.e. before WWII).

      But then, up to the north there's Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam along the coast. And Laos and Myanmar/Burma a bit further inland. And then the Philippines up to the northeast are duking it out with the Chinese up in the South China sea (i.e. you get to China if you go just a bit further North). And India and Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are all up to the North east of Singapore

      So, yes, the are a couple significant Muslim-majority countries nestled right up next to Singapore. But the neighborhood generally is very diverse in terms of race, religion, ethnicity, etc.

      Their pragmatic approach is way better than the pretentious western politics.

      Having lived in both Singapore and the USA, there are complex advantages and disadvantages to both. A strength can also be a weakness. But when I was in Singapore I missed my freedom of speech (posting on Slashdot and internet porn) and I found the massive inequality in Singapore to be deeply disturbing (not that the USA doesn't also have its pockets of desperate poverty).

    20. Re: Yep, that's Singapore by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Singapore refuse to accept refugees.

      It's a lot more complex than that.

      Singapore has a population of about 5.6 million of which only about 3.4 million are citizens. The rest are 1.7 million non-residents (e.g. foreign workers) and 0.5 million permanent residents.

      So Singapore has a relatively massive population of foreigners. But the unemployment rate in Singapore is around 1-2%. Which flies in the face of the idea that foreigners are bad for an economy.

      Now, regarding true refugees (e.g. who drift down the coast from countries like Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam in overcrowded barely seaworthy boats). Well, the Singapore navy intercepts them and gives them (unmarked) boxes of food and gives them instructions on how to navigate to other countries besides Singapore. :)

      Of course, if you're caught staying in Singapore illegally it's a mandatory minimum three strokes of the cane - so there's also a healthy trade in smuggling people out of Singapore (e.g. across the border in Malaysia) - so they don't get caned.

    21. Re: Yep, that's Singapore by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Eh, Norway does the same, scan your face and fingerprints and whatnot when you renew your passport. But of course, Norway is known as the last communist state...

    22. Re: Yep, that's Singapore by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Great idea! Put every USA niggar, muzziwog and narco.MEX in a gulag just watch the crime rate GO DOWN BY 75%. Pop a few thousand progressive politicians into the same Utah gulag and political corruption goes down by 50%! Sorry pals ... you gotta shoot bankers and lawyers to remove their sociopath influence ... yes they are that evil !

    23. Re: Yep, that's Singapore by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Here in the US we just put farters like you into prison and call the guards away so you could enjoy some cock meat sandwich. Much more effective I'll say.

      ...but only if you're an African American or Latino. Whitey can still do whatever he damn well pleases including threatening cops with high power rifles.

    24. Re: Yep, that's Singapore by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I wasnt a tourist, the raise in the dollar made the company I worked for closed and my work visa was canceled.
      She had made an admission in the police station, I would have been happy to fly back.

      You have to understand that angmo's are not the same as chinese people in singapore. Better than a indian or a malay but certainly second class.
      Theft by servant in singapore is meant to be a very serious offense up to 20 years.

    25. Re: Yep, that's Singapore by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you're white, I triple-dog-dare you to threaten cops with a high powered rifle and do whatever you damn well please.

      I'll keep an eye on the news for the next few days. If I hear nothing, I'll assume you wussed out or aren't white.

    26. Re: Yep, that's Singapore by PGaries · · Score: 1

      Apparently this isn't true; LGBT people have been charged: http://www.economist.com/blogs....

      Never mind the repressive effects of such laws even if they aren't strictly enforced. A law is a law.

    27. Re: Yep, that's Singapore by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So it was a Silent But Deadly?

      You got off easy then.

    28. Re:Yep, that's Singapore by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I was robbed by my cleaner, cleaner admitted it.

      I assume that you are referring to your live-in maid from overseas (very common in Singapore)?

      The live-in maid situation in Singapore is deeply concerning from a whole variety of view points. First, there's the salary - typically about $400/month USD (S$600 SGD) - significantly less than would be allowed under even the very weak USA minimum wage laws. And then there's the fact that, if they're married, they have to leave their families behind in their home countries. It's not good for children to have to grow up without their mothers.

      But the big problem is exploitation and abuse. Every month or so in Singapore there's another story about a maid who was starved and tortured by her Singapore employers. The women who are brought in to be maids from the surrounding countries typically come from extremely disadvantaged backgrounds - little formal education, barely speaking English (the official language of Singapore), and no financial resources to fall back on in an emergency. It's very difficult for the maids to go back to their home countries if an employer turns out to be abusive. Maids are basically prisoners of their employers.

      That's not to say that every single maid is a paragon of virtue with a heart of gold. But if you want to fault the Singapore justice system in regard to the Singapore system of foreign live-in maids then start with the Singapore employers who starve and torture their maids and then receive only a minor slap on the wrist - if they are even prosecuted at all.

    29. Re:Yep, that's Singapore by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      Yes AC thats what most nations do, they count everyone in and out.
      If you are allowed to stay you have to be studying, on holiday, working or have some other really good reason for been in any normal nation.
      The same is followed up for work, education, health care and tourists in most normal nations. When your work or study or holiday is over you go back to your own nation again.
      As for scans, it makes it easy to see who entered, why and for how long they can stay. If they over stay they can be tracked at work, if in study.
      Fake or shared papers produced on demand are then totally useless unless gov files can be altered.
      Australia tried the 100 point check https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... but that has its limits as layers of not difficult to fake/obtain documents build up the needed profile.
      Considering the ability to keep documents safe at the gov level the iris scan adds another level of much needed security.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    30. Re: Yep, that's Singapore by fubarrr · · Score: 1

      Violators of the Geneva convention are FILTH

    31. Re: Yep, that's Singapore by fubarrr · · Score: 1

      >has little corruption

      You mean a country where the president holds a personal pension fund funded by people's taxes?

    32. Re: Yep, that's Singapore by fubarrr · · Score: 1

      Passports and legal citizenship of the first world countries are a stapple good on the black market

    33. Re: Yep, that's Singapore by radub · · Score: 0

      I'm white and I don't threaten cops with anything. I pull over the car, keep the hands on the steering wheel and talk in my best southern drawl i can muser: "Well howdy there officer what seems to be the problem? Was I speeding too much?" and I get away with just a warning. Yep, it pays top be a blonde white arian guy in a bimmer in Mizzouri, I can get away with practically everything but murder.

  2. Good! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What will they do with people who fail the eye test? Kill them, I'd wager.

    1. Re:Good! by unixisc · · Score: 1

      Or the blind?

    2. Re:Good! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Kill them, I'd wager.

    3. Re:Good! by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 2

      What will they do with people who fail the eye test? Kill them, I'd wager.

      They seem to like beating people with big sticks.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    4. Re: Good! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'll tell you the same thing I tell my 2 year old son; just because you can't see me doesn't mean I can't see you.

    5. Re: Good! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's just for the automatic clearance.

      If you can't you simply join the traditional custom officer queue who will check more throughly and make sure all the autenticity marks are in your passport and the usual stuff.

      You get interrogated if something isn't right.

        it's much more respectful and professional than TSA.

    6. Re: Good! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I'm Singaporean. My Father in law have a stroke so he can't use the fast track automatic clearance because he can't lift his finder for authentication so he had to go through the manual queue with a customs officer clearing him.

    7. Re: Good! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Aw.... you ended the imagination...that's no fun...we need to talk about some pitiful place with dystopian punishments to make us feel like we live in a civil society.

      It's be a much more interesting thread if it's like Saudi Arabia with the hand chopping and castration and women who are not allowed to drive etc.

    8. Re: Good! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sorry to burst your bubble.

  3. Iris changes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I assume iris doesn't change much as people age? This could lessen the biometric update costs to the nation. Photography update every five years could be done remotely because of the additional factor and remove the need to visit a police station or a registration office, whatever they use in Singapore.

    1. Re:Iris changes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I assume iris doesn't change much as people age?

      Actually it does, especially if you start developing cataracts.

    2. Re:Iris changes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "I assume iris doesn't change much as people age?"

      Actually, Iris _color_ changes all the time. Especially with lighter variations in heterochromatism, the composition and distribution of Melanin, depending on Iris size, which depends on the amount and spectral character of the reflected light. Even the micro-muscular pupillary reflex varies, which is why advanced systems use video to record and compare the changes in an Iris due to stimulation, such as a change in light level or color. This is to prevent photographic fraud- a still image doesn't change. Anyway, kids tend to have bluer eyes, which pale over time. Not much an issue in Singapore.
      The thing is, after getting into the Tech... Eyes are beautiful. One of the great advantages of severe Myopia is getting up close and personal with a beautiful pair of Eyes. And yet this can be abused; get a far-sighed girl close, and you can see into her eyes, but she can't see into yours. Say some key words, maybe a slight stroke at the base of the thumb, and pay attention. The Iris widens, nostrils flare, breathing increases, capillaries in the cheeks expand. You can play her like a Theremin.
      Get two people with severe Myopia together... and the glasses come off, and they get into bumping foreheads... before they get into bumping uglies.

  4. I've seen the movies by PopeRatzo · · Score: 2

    This could start a vibrant market in second-hand eyeballs.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  5. Thank goodness by JustAnotherOldGuy · · Score: 2

    "Singapore Will Add Iris Scans As Identifier For Citizens And Permanent Residents"

    Thank goodness this will never be hacked, because biometric signatures are 100% secure and if they do get hacked you can always change th...oh, wait...

    --
    Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
    1. Re:Thank goodness by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      Smarter nations don't store their gov documents in plain text facing the internet.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    2. Re:Thank goodness by tlhIngan · · Score: 1

      Smarter nations don't store their gov documents in plain text facing the internet.

      I believe Internet access for government employees was cut off a little while ago.

      That's right, no internet access anymore for government employees.

      Not that it matters - there's the Great Firewall of Singapore to deal with. One that probably tracks you trying to access illicit materials and gets you arrested. Unlike say, the Chinese firewall which just blocks.

      One thing that struck me while I was there was how little there was to do. It's all so highly regulated that it's just work, shopping and few other highly controlled activities. If that's all you do, great, it's a great country. But if you want to do some recreation, camping, or other activity that the government doesn't allow, well, it's sort of disallowed.

      Don't get me wrong, the place is very efficient - public transit is great - it runs on time (and when it doesn't, people get fired) and all that - no power outages or other things. But it's also sort of boring. Yes, maybe 60% of Americans would probably fit in if all you do is work, shop, and do a few things like movies and such. But it really lacks any sort of "community" feel even though everyone takes care of family and such. It's more of a "I take care of my own family and relatives. You have no relation to me, go away. Why do you even say hello to me? I don't know y ou. Go away."

    3. Re:Thank goodness by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      Singapore got into digital networks years ago. e.g. Land Data Hub project.
      The main idea is to attract wealth and keep it safe. Few nations can offer that. That safe feeling covers every aspect of life.
      No strangers just get to walk around like in the EU or USA.
      re the "no power outages or other things."
      The GCHQ has poured decades of hardware into local sites and even Australia gets to help. The power was always secure over decades or collection on China and Indonesia would have slowed :)

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
  6. Canada's been doing this for years... by PrimaryConsult · · Score: 2

    If you want express entry into Canada (as an American or as a Canadian), you need to submit an iris scan. Nothing crazy about that.

    1. Re:Canada's been doing this for years... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just because crazy is the new normal doesn't mean it's not crazy.

    2. Re:Canada's been doing this for years... by wjcofkc · · Score: 1

      Or you could use a jet pack. But that would be crazy. Is the Canadian border armed? Off to my workshop!

      --
      Brought to you by Carl's Junior.
  7. fascism by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    plain and simple

  8. All in good capatilist fun by wjcofkc · · Score: 1

    Todays evil is tomorrow's potential (or vice versa). And so we will have a new black market in iris altering contacts that can fool machines. Someday we here will be having a conversation about other applications for said possibly but maybe not beneficial technology. These days you cannot expect a technology to merely go in one direction. I know other nations are already doing similar, and just because other people are already doing this does not negate the ambiguous nature of my post.

    --
    Brought to you by Carl's Junior.