USPS kiosks takes customer pictures and retains them for 30 days

[adrian]

From Slashdot.org

NW writes "According to FOIA documents obtained by EPIC new Postal Service self-service postage machines take portrait-style photographs of customers and retain them for 30 days." IBM is the contractor behind the kiosks. Note that the kiosk is supposed to not complete the transaction if it determines the photograph has been compromised, so simply covering the camera is unlikely to work. As the cost of cameras and digital storage approaches zero, is it inevitable that every machine you interact with will take your photograph and store it?

I knew it was too good to be true.

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: USPS kiosks takes customer pictures and retains them for 30 days

Not too surprising. Bank ATMs have been doing it for a long time now. My question is, if it's a government machine, paid for with public money, then do we the public have access to this government record? And if not, why not?

[Miulang]

Re: USPS kiosks takes customer pictures and retains them for 30 days

Not too surprising. Bank ATMs have been doing it for a long time now. My question is, if it's a government machine, paid for with public money, then do we the public have access to this government record? And if not, why not?

I hope that's a rhetorical question, Glen. The answer is: We're the government and we don't want you to see it. And we can wave the Patriot Act II in front of your face and tell you that it's legal for us to say that to you!

Now they're talking about having driver's licenses that are standardized among all 50 states. The licenses are supposed to contain some form of biometrics.

The ACLU says this is one step removed from the national ID card. But if I had to choose between a "national ID card" and an implanted chip with the same info, I think I'd choose the card! Great Britain has already started this process for its citizens (they are using a national ID card with biometrics which I think costs about US$28 for people to get).


Miulang