Everyone is unique. Let us keep it that way. (UK Home Office, Identity and Passport Service 1 ) A man in a dark business suit approaches a counter at the international air- port. Leaning in towards an automated teller, a fine line of infrared light pans across his eye (Figure 10.1). The complex texture of his iris patterns is read, coded and checked against multiple databases. Seconds later, when the machine registers approval, the man marches past the security line-ups and into the members’ lounge, where he loosens his tie and flips open his laptop computer. His identity has been secured. This is the easy passage thatawaitsthousandsof airtravellerswhohavejoinedborderpre-clearance programmes that rely on biometrics to expedite security clearance. The securitisation of identity based on unique, bodily characteristics is increas- ingly widespread, helped by technological advances that make them less intrusive in their application. Special instruments capture and record the patterns of body parts – fingerprint swirls, retinal blood vessels, face scans, etc. – rendering three-dimensional bodies into two-dimensional representa- tions. The biometric is then linked up to a wide array of information that can span across legal, financial, medical and educational domains. It is against this information that identities are verified – a confirmation is made, as in the example above, that the subject is who he says he is. Alternatively, information in the database could flag this individual as a potential risk who warrants additional security measures. Chapter 10 Eye to Eye: Biometrics, the Observer, the Observed and the Body Politic Emily Gilbert 10_Observant_225-246 14/12/09 09:05 Page 225