[Politech] Thumbprinting visitors at the Statue of Liberty

[Declan McCullagh]

Previous Politech message:
http://www.politechbot.com/2005/04/28/arkansas-salon-requires/


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: BB: Thumbprinting visitors at Statue of Liberty
Date: Thu, 28 Apr 2005 08:37:14 -0700
From: Xeni Jardin <xeni at xeni.net>
To: 'Declan McCullagh' <declan at well.com>

Thumbprinting visitors at Statue of Liberty

http://www.boingboing.net/2005/04/28/thumbprinting_visito.html

Responding to yesterday's Boing Boing post about tanning salons and gyms
that require users to sumbit to thumbprint ID, reader Matthew A. Dietzen of
Chicago-Kent College of Law says:

= = = = = = = = = = = =

    You might find these pictures of the Thumb-Scanning Lockers on Liberty
Island, NYC interesting. In order to get to "Liberty" Island, you must first
have your gear X-rayed by Wackenhut security goons. Then you ride to the
island accompanied by Coast Guard types with German Shepherds. Once ashore,
you are free to circle the island, take pictures of the statue, and buy
overpriced Slurpees.

    However, in order to get inside the statue, you have to stow your gear
in a locker... that requires you to use your fingerprint as a key!!! You can
also pay with a credit card, that way if anyone hacks the machine, they can
have your print AND your credit card information. This must be in place to
protect us from those Al Qaeda frogmen that are clever enough to swim
ashore, but are too stupid perform their dastardly deed at night where they
can circumvent the locker bay by climbing the seemingly easy-to-climb wall.

    In all likelihood, its probably to condition us into giving up our
biometric information at every turn [As if biometrics could never be
hacked...] so that security companies can make even more $$$, while we
become more and more sheep-like each day. In any case, I didn't go inside.

    However, later that day, I was falsely arrested near Ground Zero with
200 other people. I was a legal observer at the Republican National
Conventions. First they said people could march, then they arrested them.
They took us to Pier 57, and then the Tombs where we were laser-printed on
ALL of our fingers with a SAGEM machine because we "might be terrorists."
After denouncing us as anarchists and enemies of the state, the city dropped
the charges [on our group anyway] a month later. The latest stories indicate
that over 90% of the charges were dropped or found to be baseless. The
police were also caught fabricating evidence.

= = = = = = = = = = = =

Matthew's snapshots: one
(http://www.boingboing.net/images/Liberty-Locker-Thumbs-2.jpg), two
(http://www.boingboing.net/images/Liberty-Locker-Thumbs1.jpg).

Previously: Arkansas salon requires thumbprint to get a tan
(http://www.boingboing.net/2005/04/27/arkansas_salon_requi.html)






---------------------------------------
  Xeni Jardin  | www.xeni.net

* co-editor, BoingBoing.net
* correspondent:
  Wired Magazine, Wired News, NPR "Day to Day"

say: /SHEH-nee zhar-DAN/

Mailing list for updates:
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