November 4, 2025
Eye see you, cheek swab too
Uncle Sam wants to scan your iris and collect your DNA, citizen or not
From “water is wet” to “Stasi vibes”: commenters spar over eye scans and DNA grabs
TLDR: DHS proposed a broad rule to collect iris scans, voice prints, and DNA from immigrants and some US citizens tied to their cases. Comments split between “this is old news,” dystopia warnings, and political finger-pointing, all arguing why expanding state body data matters and who’s responsible.
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) just floated a plan to supercharge biometric data collection—think iris photos, voice prints, and even DNA—from immigrants and some US citizens tied to immigration cases, via its agency US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). It’s pitched as identity verification and fraud prevention, but the community read it as something bigger: a new era of state-level body data. Cue the reactions: one camp shrugged it off with meme energy—“In other news, water is wet”—and users noting they’ve been fingerprinted and face-scanned for years. The other camp sounded the alarm, dropping “Stasi” comparisons and dystopia jokes, like one commenter who visualized old spy jars of human scent replaced with modern racks of SSDs bursting with your biometrics.
The thread then veered into politics drama: one user argued public outrage depends on who’s in the White House, instantly sparking a mini flame war over whether this is bipartisan creep or one party’s overreach. Meanwhile, privacy hawks invoked Europe’s failed “chat control” proposal as the kiddie version of this, warning of fascist outcomes. The humor didn’t stop—think “Smile for the state, then swab your cheek,” and “bring-your-DNA-to-work day.” Whether you see DHS tightening security or building a body-data panopticon, commenters are split between bored, furious, and meme-happy—and nobody agrees where the line should be
Key Points
- •DHS, via USCIS, proposed a rule to make biometric collection mandatory for most immigration applicants and associated individuals, including some U.S. citizens and all ages.
- •The proposal expands the definition of biometrics to include measurable biological or behavioral characteristics, enabling new modalities such as ocular imagery, voice prints, and DNA.
- •DHS seeks explicit authority to require, request, or accept raw DNA or DNA test results, including for verifying familial relationships and, when relevant, biological sex.
- •Biometrics would be collected from any noncitizen apprehended, arrested, or encountered by DHS, extending beyond benefit applicants.
- •Collected data would be used for identity verification, immigration lifecycle management, security checks, secure document production, and administrative functions; the article notes concerns about accuracy and misuse of technologies like facial recognition.