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Comment by pjc50 | Hacker News Reader

> National Integrated Identity Management System (NIIMS) now requires all Kenyans, immigrants, and refugees to turn over their DNA, GPS coordinates of their residential address, retina scans, iris pattern, voice waves, and earlobe geometry before being issued critical identification documents.

Ouch. The full identity theft package. Probably worth comparing this with the controversy over Aadhar, the Indian scheme.

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Is any of this currently used in ID theft (other than residential location)? Earlobe shape isn't exactly a security question. Might screw them over in the future but hard to call this the full identity theft package.

Is "identity theft" a thing in Kenya? I mean the US meaning is tied up with easy credit, someone else borrows money in your name, and the lender asks few questions until too late for them. I had the impression that places like Kenya there was very little such consumer credit available.

Edit: I guess the other meaning is things like getting a duplicate SIM card to defeat 2FA. I'd imagine that's a problem. Can anyone comment whether such information would make this easier?

> Is "identity theft" a thing in Kenya?

Yes:

https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001287820/phone-use...

OK, so breaking 2FA & emptying your account, rather than taking a loan.

Would the world with this system (and its inevitable leaks) be worse? What I mean is that replacing a system where e.g. knowing someone's mother's maiden name is enough to get you a SIM card, to one where you have to show up and have the same earlobes... even if, err, the earlobes leak, might be better?

Or does getting a SIM card involve an inside man, in which case maybe nothing changes?

Yes. An example is telco market leader Safaricom.co.ke that rolled out 'voice as password'. Keep in mind most Kenyan transactions these days are in mobile money.

Well, this system would decrease the risk of identity theft because you can't get an ID issued without getting scanned/examined.

It would be a bit stupid to base an identification system, like that of a bank or credit card or whatever, on earlobe shape or Iris alone. But in combination with other factors it might be quite secure.

I think Earlobe shape can be used for identification in video footage. Iris scans only if you have a really good camera and a lot of luck. Otherwise it's really hard.

I assume the idea is that you need to produce a number of these for a new card. I hope IDs would be cryptography signed by gov officer (so fake ID generators are caught over time), and revokable if lost or stolen (one valid id at a time).

Oddly, no mention of fingerprints.

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