Are ten fingers better than two?
Posted by Matt Dioguardi on December 12th, 2007
Update: I’ve blogged a few more details on this at my other (not ready for prime time) political blog. Here’s the link.
There’s about a million reasons why Japan should not be fingerprinting foreigners, however just to concentrate on one.
As early as 2005 a study on the current fingerprinting system in America was published. It showed that if only two index fingers were fingerprinted, then the likelihood of thwarting the system was fairly substantial. For people with weak fingerprints, recognition would be severely degraded. Once a determined individual realized this, he could work on wearing down his own fingerprints, so that the system would not accurately record them.
Here is a link to the study.
Here is a link to the short hand version of the study.
This study was published in 2005. As of now, America will be moving to a 10 finger fingerprint system. Although no one is saying so, this must be a result of that study.
So here we are in 2007, two years after we’ve been informed that the two finger index system doesn’t work, and Japan is now instituting that system. That is from conception to implementation, Japan put into place a system well known to be deficient in thwarting determined individuals. People should be shocked and outraged. Instead … silence.
The system in America cost $10 billion dollars, I wonder how much money is being wasted on Japan’s system.
As far as the two finger index system, the secretary of Homeland Security (in the US) notes that it has been used to stop 2000 criminals. Were any of these people terrorists? No, the “criminals” were stopped in relation to drug trade and “illegal” labor. $10,000,000,000 divided by 2000 people apprehended (related to drugs and “illegal” workers). That means $5,000,000 per apprehended person. Is he serious?
Rest assured that the new system ten finger system will be easily thwarted by any truly determined person.
December 13th, 2007 at 11:02 am
Has the world gone mad!?!
Fastforward 25 years from now, some data base will exist containing each living person’s finger prints (all 10), iris, shopping habits, walking habits (CCT security camera software now testing this in England), blood type, address, tel. number, bank info, relatives, etc. etc.
Now the big question….who is in control of all this information, and what happens when (and it will) fall into the wrong hands?
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December 16th, 2007 at 7:59 pm
That means $5,000,000 per apprehended person. Is he serious?
Leave it to the liberals to put a price on freedom…
</sarcasm>
December 17th, 2007 at 11:09 am
$5M a head is downright cheap when you consider what we’re spending per al Qaeda member in Iraq/Afghanistan. If you can shop for a better deal closer to home, I say go for it.
January 15th, 2008 at 7:03 am
What a joke man. One thing, it makes no point in an argument when you back up your claims with a link to your own stuff. million reasons, dolt.
“Although no one is saying so, this must be a result of that study.”
There is no logical relationship at all here. How in the world can you really state that the US, with the best minds in the world will be swayed by this article? Think about this: 90% of the people using the system will be fine with normal readings of their index fingers. Do you think that the terrorists will not be checked thoroughly? They do have a computer hooked up there ya know, and that does have a database of names to cross reference.
“The system in America cost $10 billion dollars”
Where did you get this figure? It looks like you pulled it out of your arse. The entire budget for the INS offices within the US is capped out at only $26.4 million, and that is for those same immigrants. Sure the airports need to deal with tourists as well, but they aren’t going to cost an extra 9.75 billion.
Your arguments are poor and your facts lacking.
January 15th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Joe,
If you’d taken the time to check out the links, you’d have found the $10 billion figure.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/05/050516192544.htm
There are several other articles citing the $10 billion cost which can be found after searching at Google under the terms “$10 billioin” and “US-VISIT”.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0604/060104tdpm1.htm
http://epic.org/privacy/us-visit/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43276-2004Oct18.html
http://www.schneier.com/essay-026.html
http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/07/03/maccount03_ed3_.php
I don’t have time to through the other 5000 hits.
As far as logical relationships, why do you suppose the system was altered? Certainly there is a reason that this change took place. I mean I admit that government officials do often appear to do things for no apparent reason, but usually they offer a reason.
My suggestion is to point to a substantial study that was done to show the system was very flawed and that all ten fingers should be fingerprinted? That’s not reasonable? After all that’s exactly what the new system does, take all ten fingerprints.
What’s your alternative theory? Why did they change the system?
January 15th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
are you ignoring the facts or just outright lying about them? You wrote this: “The system in America cost $10 billion dollars”
you are not substantiating your argument at all by then quoting things like the following: “But that’s just the start… could eventually cost up to $10 billion.”
“the 10-year price tag of as much as $10 billion”
“Officials estimate the system could cost up to $10 billion and take a decade to build.”
Your argument doesn’t hold water. It is misleading at best and pure fabrication at worst. You mention that the 2 finger system doesn’t work. There again a pure fabrication. That system has a minimum of 80% accuracy rate. A far cry from ‘not working’.
January 16th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Joe,
Yes, people like I and security expert Bruce Schneier are really just terrible liars. See here where Schneier puts the next phase of the program’s cost at $15 billion.
January 17th, 2008 at 9:50 am
You are as ignorant as you are rude. You made a false statement in “The system in America cost $10 billion dollars”.
Instead of just bucking up to it you have become a defensive dolt, only burying yourself in that hole.
Even a cursory read of Schneier’s blog talks about a future “next phase” with a price tag in the future.
The fact here is that the system did not in fact cost $10b, it will cost that over the next 10 years. That is a far cry from the misleading and false way you use your statistics.