Singapore to Record Iris Scans; Fake News Story Raises Bangkok Alarm

Posted December 28th, 2016 at 11:28 am (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings:

FILE - Jim Kaplan, of Weston, Mass., has his iris scanned at Logan Airport in Boston. (AP)

FILE – Jim Kaplan, of Weston, Mass., has his iris scanned at Logan Airport in Boston. (AP)

Singapore to Record Iris Scans of Citizens

Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs said the country will begin collecting iris scans of citizens and permanent residents beginning January 1. A ministry statement said the goal is to improve efficiency for immigration procedures and registration and renewal of identity cards and passports. The iris images will be an additional identifier, along with photographs and fingerprints.

Facebook False Alarm Triggers Safety Check in Thailand

Facebook’s Safety Check feature, intended to let users in dangerous regions notify loved ones that they are safe, triggered a false alarm in Bangkok, Thailand following news of an explosion in the capital. There was no explosion, and the reference appears to have resulted from a fake news story and questionable sourcing. A few days ago, another fake story triggered a Twitter confrontation between nuclear states Israel and Pakistan. The story claimed Israel’s former defense minister threatened to launch a nuclear attack against Pakistan if it sends troops to Syria.

14 Eyebrow-raising Things Google Knows About You

Whether you know it or not, Google collects all sorts of information and images about its users. And according to writer JR Raphael, that compilation also includes stats that define user habits as they search the internet. “It really is enlightening,” he wrote, to “see your actions broken down so precisely.” Fortunately, Google’s two-factor authentication security system can help prevent this data from falling into the wrong hands.

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Aida Akl
Aida Akl is a journalist working on VOA's English Webdesk. She has written on a wide range of topics, although her more recent contributions have focused on technology. She has covered both domestic and international events since the mid-1980s as a VOA reporter and international broadcaster.

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