Thailand has launched a program to collect the iris and face biometrics of people from Myanmar, in what the government says is an attempt to streamline health services for Thailand’s most mobile population. But given the dynamics at play in both politics and power, the initiative has raised flags among rights groups, who see a potential threat to privacy and human rights.
According to a report from Radio Free Asia, 10,000 Myanmar nationals have already had their biometric data collected as part of the program. The campaign is being led by Thailand’s Department of Disease Control, and its stated core mission is to get a better handle on the allocation and administration of vaccine doses for the transient.
