In my last article I talked about how 3d printing and bio technologies in the future will have the ability to give anonymity back to individuals in publicly surveilled areas via realistic 3d printed masks [view article]. In this article I will expand upon the ways in which these technologies hold the power not only to make surveillance and biometrics less effective, but in-fact reverse their intentions of more security (crime prevention, identifying a perpetrator ect.) and instead provide the means to commit crimes not only anonymously but to convincingly frame another individual.

I will focus on the more advanced biotech version of 3d printing idea rather then simple latex mask printing, since it’s implications are much more interesting and obscure.

SKIN PRINTING AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR IDENTITY THEFT

The basic idea is that if 3d printed skin can be used as a facemask for anonymity it can also be used to steal an identity of another. This will be do able using a basic image/video of the person who’s identity the thief wishes to assume. Take into consideration the hacker, who not too long ago, stole a politician’s fingerprint from a few high resolution photos, the hacker was then able to create a false fingerprint that would work on biometric verification devices [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/…]. Now extrapolate that concept to the face of a person, and you have a world where from a few simple pictures or video you can accurately print another persons face in detail and proceed to wear it. Not only that but you can print there hands with all the correct details, use there DNA so the printed skin will resemble their’s (perhaps a thin non-bioligical film inbetween your skin and the skin with their DNA since it won’t be compatible for another’s body). Put all these pieces together and you have a scenario where an individual with an image of a person and small amount of DNA (we leave this everywhere) can steal that person’s identity down to the facial features and fingerprints, then proceed to commit a crime leaving that person’s fingerprints and DNA on the scene along with a video with their face if the crime-scene has cameras.

Obviously this is an obscure idea but I don’t think it is really that outlandish going into the future. It will definitely have some interesting implications. For one it could void any legitimacy of surveillance footage biometric recognition and DNA forensics, for if anyone (with a similar body structure/size) can appear to be anyone else with very little effort, then reasonable doubt can easily exonerate a person from any crime using those three things as it’s only primary evidence. Secondly any public official would be extremely vulnerable to identity theft of this kind, meaning that any politician who is disliked will probably be framed for multiple crimes (adding new depth to idea’s like “smear campaigns” and “political activism”)

SELF-MONETIZATION

Self monetizing by selling ones own identity will become something a person with a no criminal record might do if they really need some extra cash, a “clean” idenity would sell for more as it isnt on the market yet and the user won’t be picked up by cameras as a known criminal offender which might raise suspicion in certain situations. Criminals starting their career might self monetize right before their first crime thus saving money on buying a different identity and also creating reasonable doubt for guilt in their own crime, as multiple crimes will be committed with their identity once they sell it.

SUMMARY

The main purpose of this article was to show that the seemingly linear progression of ever more state control via surveillance technologies may not only be subverted in the future but reversed in such a way that could enable even greater anonymity then was possible before surveillance itself. If my ideas are indeed possible then the Orwellian dreams of today’s aspiring totalizing state will definitely fall short of it’s expectations.

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BY TOM DON