• The author investigated the privacy implications of LinkedIn's "Identity Verification" badge, which is handled by a third-party provider called Persona.
• To verify, users must provide a government ID, a live "selfie" (biometric scan), and access to NFC data on their passport.
• Upon examining the legal disclosures, the author found that data is shared with a surprisingly long list of 17 subprocessors.
• Notable subprocessors listed include OpenAI, Anthropic, and Groqcloud, raising concerns about biometric and personal data being used for AI training.
• The privacy policy cites "Legitimate Interest" as the legal basis for processing, which the author suggests is a way to bypass explicit consent for data sharing.
• The article concludes that the perceived value of a "verified" checkmark on a professional profile does not outweigh the significant privacy risks and the distribution of sensitive biometric data to numerous tech corporations.

Hacker News Discussion

• A top comment notes that Persona’s CEO responded to the claims, asserting that no personal data is used for AI training and that biometric data is deleted immediately after processing.
• The CEO claimed the full list of subprocessors is a "catch-all" for all their services (like background checks), and only 8 subprocessors are actually used for the identity verification product specifically.
• Many users remained skeptical of the "catch-all" explanation, arguing that if a company is sure about privacy, they should explicitly limit the legal language rather than using broad "CYA" (Cover Your Assets) terms.
• Commenters discussed the inherent risks of "Know Your Customer" (KYC) processes, noting that even if data is deleted, the initial collection creates a honeypot for potential breaches.
• Some participants argued that the "Legitimate Interest" justification is often abused in the EU to avoid the stricter requirements of explicit consent under GDPR.
• There was a general consensus among technical users that a social media badge is insufficient justification for handing over highly sensitive, unchangeable biometric markers.

This seems to describe the proposal akwardly, bc as is would run afoul of AI Act. I think it actually says: AI used in realtime to detect suspicious behaviour/movements. Then w human decision, follow a person specifically in vid streams, then recordings to fish out face to be compared w existing databases.

this is not the same as real time mass identification which is disallowd in AI Act. The detection is automated, id upon human decision later.

Also a mention of a faces dbase based on public online images for police to use.

Colonial history of biometrics

Article text links to The Origin of Finger-Printing . Nature 98, 268 (1916). https://doi.org/10.1038/098268a0.

Economic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1, SC 2015, c 36, https://canlii.ca/t/52m2b, s. 170, repealed s. 11.1, which until that point read:

11.1 A prescribed foreign national who makes an application for a temporary resident visa, study permit or work permit must follow the prescribed procedures for the collection of prescribed biometric information.

Economic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1, SC 2015, c 36, https://canlii.ca/t/52m2b, s. 169(1), adds a new s. 11(1.01):

(1.01) Despite subsection (1), a foreign national must, before entering Canada, apply for an electronic travel authorization required by the regulations by means of an electronic system, unless the regulations provide that the application may be made by other means. The application may be examined by an officer and, if the officer determines that the foreign national is not inadmissible and meets the requirements of this Act, the authorization may be issued by the officer.

The section previously read:

(1.01) Despite subsection (1), a foreign national must, before entering Canada, apply for an electronic travel authorization required by the regulations by means of an electronic system, unless the regulations provide that the application may be made by other means. The application may be examined by the system or by an officer and, if the system or officer determines that the foreign national is not inadmissible and meets the requirements of this Act, the authorization may be issued by the system or officer.

Economic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1, SC 2015, c 36, https://canlii.ca/t/52m2b, s. 169(2), adds a new subsection: "(1.02) Subject to the regulations, a foreign national who has temporary resident status may apply for a visa or other document during their stay in Canada."