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Content Who Are You?
Rachel Kisela
A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE
USC ANNENBERG SCHOOL FOR COMMUNICATION AND JOURNALISM
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF ARTS
(SPECIALIZED JOURNALISM)
MAY 2023
Acknowledgements
Thank you to my parents for their lifelong encouragement of my creative and
professional endeavors. I feel incredibly lucky to be raised with unconditional support. Thank
you to my high school teacher, Jennifer English, whose words of encouragement for me to
pursue video continue to ring in my head years later.
Last but not least, I want to impress my utmost appreciation for my faculty committee:
Stuart Sender, Clifford Neuman, and my committee chair, Dan Birman. Dan, you have taught me
so much about what it really means to be a documentarian, and I will continue to hold what I
learned at USC close to my heart for the rest of my career. My entire committee supported my
thesis project through an extended timeline, and for that, I am extremely thankful.
ii
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………………ii
Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………..iv
Chapter One: Reflection…………………………………………………………………………..1
Chapter Two: Documentary Script………………………………………………………………..5
References………………………………………………………………………………………..20
iii
Abstract
For decades, authenticating one’s identity on a computer was as simple as typing in a
password. But a growing amount of personal information tied to this string of characters means
that it is time for the digital world to explore new options. Experts reveal three factors to identity
verification: something you know (like a password), something you have (like a keycard), and
something about you (like your fingerprint). This documentary takes an inside look at next-
generation technologies that aim to expedite and secure the process of identity verification while
battling inevitable and mounting concerns over privacy. The stakes of nailing this process are
high - modern-day banking information, health records, and social media accounts all hinge on
the truthful answer to one question - are you who you say you are?
iv
Chapter One: Reflection
I received my undergraduate degree in Sociology at the University of Washington in
2021, where I studied the social impacts of technology. I received a research scholarship to
survey and write about the impacts of the “body positivity” social media movement on the body
image of male and LGBT audiences. Because rapid technological developments sometimes
1
precede the social and ethical question of whether or not they should exist, I wanted to continue
my socio-technical work in documentary journalism. I enrolled at the USC Annenberg School of
2
Journalism with the goal of learning and reporting about technology with heavy social
implications.
I struggled for several months to find a socio-technical topic with a strong visual
component for a documentary, but after stumbling upon a TikTok video that piqued my interest, I
had a jumping-off point. A popular content creator that went by the pseudonym “Chip Girl” had
built an audience of millions by showing and explaining how the RFID chip implanted into her
hand connected to technology and security features around her home. I chose documentary as the
medium to tell this story because the character was inherently visual. Showing the true
integration of technology with daily life meant I had to show unexpected places where the
technology could improve, or detract from, everyday activities.
My initial project concept was to examine the community of “biohackers,” using one
social media star’s popularity, Chip Girl, to crack open a journalistic window into human RFID
chip implants. I planned for my documentary to answer the questions of what motivates this
Kanagy, “Senior thesis takes new approach.”
1
Marshall, Has Technology Introduced New Ethical Problems?”
2
1
community to implant technology into their bodies, how individual and family lives are affected
by the close implementation of home automation technology, and what privacy concerns might
be at stake. Computers are crawling historically toward the human body, moving from complex,
specialized machines in academic labs to personal home computers in about the same amount of
time as personal computers were then compressed into wearables like smartwatches. Computer
3
implantation followed this historical trend and appeared ripe for social and ethical examination.
With my topic solidified, I frequented online communities to identify characters. I
interviewed Miana Windall, a software engineer in Irvine, California who had multiple implants
and was deeply embedded in the online community. I also interviewed Amal Graafstra, the
founder and entrepreneur behind the most popular implantable chip company in the United
States. I worked with my committee chair, Dan Birman, to set up a relationship with Chip Girl
months before I planned to film with her.
However, in February 2022, three days before I was scheduled to travel to Utah to film,
my main character’s lawyer advised the family not to participate in the project due to concerns
about the privacy for their children. I learned several key lessons during this experience. One,
always have a backup plan, even if things seem set in stone. Two, if scheduling far in advance,
keep in frequent contact with characters in between initial contact and filming. Many things can
change, and you should never assume your characters’ involvement with the project will be
unaffected by whatever life changes occur during that time.
Ultimately, I still believed in the social value of my topic, and I was still responsible for
delivering my documentary. My pivot in March 2022, therefore, expanded my topic rather than
Campbell-Kelly, “A history of the information machine”; Ceruzzi, “From scientific instrument.”
3
2
changing gears completely. One of the primary purposes of RFID implants was to prove one’s
identity, so I interviewed members of another identity authentication company that focused on
facial recognition in the consumer space, PopID. PopID built several technology products,
including hardware and software, that use facial recognition as a form of identity verification.
The products I covered in the documentary are PopPay, a point-of-service kiosk for restaurants,
and PopEntry, a doorway entry system. Working with a facial recognition startup company not
only brought new methods and questions of authentication to light, but it also presented good
opportunities for visual sequences. As the year wrapped, I interviewed my third committee
member, Dr. Clifford Neuman, the Director of the Center for Computer Systems Security at
USC, to learn how these two companies fit into the overall past, present, and future of digital
identity authentication. As an expert in computer security, Dr. Neuman provided a backbone for
the documentary by identifying three methods of user verification and spelled out specific
privacy and security concerns relevant to the companies. With Dangerous Things, for example,
the RFID chip as a tool for authentication places a valuable resource inside the human body that
criminals can exploit. In fact, in 2005, the BBC reported that a gang chopped off a car owner’s
4
finger to hijack it using a fingerprint recognition system. With PopID, possible risks include a
5
higher chance of false positives in large datasets and the possibility of cloud data breaches.
I chose to attend USC to learn how to research, film and edit nonfiction, socially
beneficial long-form video stories. I believe strongly in the power of video to educate, connect
people, and place viewers in new scenarios and conversations that they would normally be
Halamka, Stubblefield, & Westhues, “The Security Implications of Verichip Cloning.”
4
Kent, “Malaysia Car Thieves Steal Finger.”
5
3
prohibited from accessing. I now work full-time as a video editor for a popular YouTuber, a work
environment that is extremely data-driven and plays the game of the “attention economy.” This
refers to the distribution of attention, a scarce and valuable resource, that plays a significant role
in organizing digital information. It has been intellectually rich to compare the two methods of
6
video-making I learned at USC and in the entertainment industry. I now hear “documentary”
used by entertainment executives as a buzzword rather than an impartial, journalistic endeavor -
but the ideal balance between educational and entertainment depends on one’s identification and
alignment with the journalism industry. In my early career, I do not feel rushed to define this
now, rather viewing each experience and accreditation as an addition to my tool belt for my next
professional step forward - my undergraduate studies in technology and sociology served a
similar purpose before I attended USC. I am, however, acutely aware of the rising rates of digital
media viewership - just in October, Nielsen reported that streaming hit a record-high in television
usage, leading cable and broadcast. Not only that, but for the first time YouTube also overtook
7
Netflix, Hulu, and other services to become the most-used streaming platform. I strongly believe
in the power of freely available, online digital video - and not only that, the skillset to package it
for success on the online platform it lives on.
8
Due to academic and personal challenges, I did not complete my Master’s thesis
according to the regular one-year timeline. However, revisiting my project as a working video
professional has allowed me to tweak some of my editing and refocus my career - both by
reflecting on how I got here, and how I want to utilize my skills moving forward.
Wu, “Persistence and success in the attention economy.”
6
Nelson, “Sports provide a lift to broadcast TV .”
7
YouTube, “How much would you pay for this thumbnail?”
8
4
Chapter Two: Documentary Script
TEXT (typing) password123!
TEXT (blinking) PASSWORD COMPROMISED
SOT - Clifford Neuman
Director of USC Center for Computer
Systems Security
VO Clips from throughout the documentary
Basically, when we think about ways that
one is trying to verify the identity of the
user of a computer system, we typically do
it based on one of three things that we call
factors. Things like a password, things like
a PIN.
SOT - Amal Graafstra
CEO, Dangerous Things & Vivokey
God, passwords are so lame.
SOT - Neuman
VO - Clips from throughout the
documentary
It's so simple for an adversary to find out
that information. The second form of
authentication, a factor we refer to as
something you'd have.
SOT - Graafstra If you just implant it, you wouldn’t have to
worry about that.
SOT - Neuman
VO - Clips from throughout the
documentary
The third approach that is often used is
called biometrics, something about you.
VO - Dimitar Dyankov
Chief Technology Officer, PopID
Dimitar stands in front of the kiosk,
speaking to the filmmaker.
We are taking streams from two lenses and
building what we call a 3D face map.
VO - Neuman
Clips from throughout the documentary
SOT
One of the reasons that authentication is so
important in computer systems is that what
you're able to access is based on that
identity.
TEXT (fade in) WHO ARE YOU?
NAT SOUND
Establishing shots of Amal Graafstra’s
house.
5
VO - Graafstra
Seated working at his desk.
SOT
So my name is Amal Graafstra. I'm CEO
and founder of Dangerous Things and
Vivokey Technologies. And yeah, pretty
much king of the garage.
VO - Graafstra
Pull chips out of soaking solution and
construct them using a microscope.
So in 2005, I was working for medical
clinics doing HIPAA compliance work, and
IT work. And I had many clinics that I was
going to on a regular basis and each clinic
has many doors. And so I ended up with
this giant jailers' key ring of keys.
VO - VO - Graafstra
Detail shots around workspace.
SOT
You know, working late, I would just leave
the door and being a basement, it's got an
egress door that's like an emergency door.
So it's geared to just be locked all the time.
So I’d leave, go to my car, ahh, keys, and
then the door is closed and locked. And I'd
have to call somebody and they'd be really
irritated.
SOT - Graafstra So that happened more than once. And
eventually, I was just like, this is kind of
ridiculous.
VO - Graafstra
Seal chip components together with resin.
Like, I want the door to just know that it's
me, I don't want to have to carry a token
that represents me to do that. I thought,
man, RFID, the little badge where you pop
it up to the door, and it beeps, that's a great
technology. It's robust, it's cheap. But it
doesn't really solve my problem. It's trading
a key token for a card token.
6
VO - Graafstra
Seal chip components together with resin.
So I kind of gave up on it for a little bit. But
then I realized pets have been getting these,
you know, chip implants for a long time.
They're fine and safe. And you know, that
works for them. And that's RFID
technology. So why can't I do that? Right?
So we agreed, yeah, that's great. So boom,
went right in my hand and started using that
to get into my office.
NAT SOUND - Graasftra
Graafstra explains what he is doing with the
chips in front of his work desk.
This is the process of converting these types
of devices into implants, you have to kind
of consider all the potential safety issues
like, you know, what if there was a breach
of the resin or something, what would be
the worst thing? Removing as much as
possible, the old solder so we can apply
new solder.
VO - Graasftra
Continuing to seal chip components
together with resin.
Between 2013 when I launched Dangerous
Things and 2018 or so when I launched
Vivokey, the type of customer that
Dangerous Things was getting was
changing. And so early on, it was very
technical. Like, what's, where's the data
sheet? How do I program this, hey, I'm
coding this thing, I need help, to a much
more general type of customer who's
asking, you know, hey, what can I do with
this?
NAT SOUND - Graafstra
Showing and unwrapping each component
of the chip kit.
This is one of the kits here. This is just our
xEM kit.
NAT SOUND - Graafstra
Showing and unwrapping each component
of the chip kit.
And then the kit itself comes in a sealed
procedure bag, and we're going to open the
procedure pouch. Normally again, this will
be done by professional at the installation
time. That’s the actual injector assembly
right there.
7
NAT SOUND - Graafstra
Showing and unwrapping each component
of the chip kit.
But essentially, you know, this is the
business end. And inside the needle, there is
an actual transponder. So you would place
this under the skin, you would be tenting
the skin up or pulling it up like this kind of
thing. You get it under there, you remove it
about 10 millimeters, so the implant when it
comes out, it can go into that pocket. So
that's what it looks like coming out. And it
just gets extended all the way out.
NAT SOUND - Graafstra
Showing and unwrapping each component
of the chip kit.
All of these are examples of just two things:
the actual chip itself and the antenna. And
those two things, two things together, will
be able to interact with a reader and
communicate data.
NAT SOUND - Graasftra
He stands next to a table in his garage.
Identifying things is really the primary use
case of RFID. So in the human context,
identity typically means something about
access control. Am I allowed into this door?
Am I allowed to log into that computer?
Am I allowed to start this car, that kind of
thing.
SOT - Neuman
VO - Amal continues to move around his
office towards the garage.
Every now and then you hear sort of these
futuristic technologies such as an implant
under your skin that could be used for
authentication. Now that's really simply an
example of something you have. It just
happens to be that what you have is actually
implanted as part of you.
NAT SOUND - Graafstra
He shows his garage door opener linked to
his chip implant.
So the implant control portion is just this
board right here. I'll show you. So this is
just on the outside, and I can just scan my
implant.
NAT SOUND - Graafstra
He shows a door lock linked to his chip
implant.
Anyway, this is the version of lock that I
have on my front door, and you can wake it
up. So yeah.
8
SOT - Neuman It's not foolproof, someone wants to steal
your chip, they're gonna dig it out from
under your skin. And in fact, there have
been instances in in sort of biometrics based
on fingerprint where, you know, people
have been killed, their fingers have been cut
off to be used, in certain cases, pretty
gruesome.
SOT - Graafstra Vivokey is really about exploring what's
possible beyond that personal scope. And to
do that, you need to ensure a few things.
One, it has to be secure. And the other thing
is need to enable ways for integrations to
occur.
NAT SOUND - Graafstra
Answering a phone call at his desk.
Hey, Katie, this is Amal Graafstra. Sorry I
missed your call yesterday. Good. I'm just
taking a quick look at the presentation.
VO - Graafstra
His hands hover over the keyboard.
VO
His answers a phone call
So we have an implantable payment device
that we're working on.
And so this is like a chip implant kind of
thing. And right now we're working through
a couple of different issuers that are
interested, they want to kind of see it from a
card manufacturer standpoint, what the
process looks like.
SOT - Graafstra So when you go to websites that sign on
with Google, that's a type of identity
providing so Google is providing an
identity.
VO - Graafstra By being able to link through a certified
chip scan to these different identity provider
API's, then you can say, okay, well, I want
to be able to connect my web service to be
able to authenticate through Vivokey. And
so in that case, you'd go to that web service
and be like, login with username and
password, or scan your Vivokey.
9
He answers a phone call. Constraints inspire creativity, constraints
force you to get something done. So by not
having the real expensive tools or not
having the, you know, the things that maybe
big engineering firms would have access to,
and things like that, it forces you to get a
little creative. Because if you want to get
anything done, you have to be creative, you
have to find a creative solution.
SOT - Graafstra
VO - Close-up of chip kit items on table.
SOT
Sometimes I sit here and go, oh, man, this is
so hard, because I don't have this thing, or
I'm limited this way. And this sucks. But
then I'm like, well, it's kind of what keeps
things nimble. It's what keeps biohacking
interesting and keeps the creativity flowing.
VO - Graafstra
Exterior of the PopID building.
You know, you see this in big companies
that will get to a certain point and they kind
of become fearful of innovation and change.
They want to keep maintain the status quo
because the status quo has gotten them
there. But the rest of the world is changing.
VO - John Miller
CEO, PopID
Front door of office from the inside,
showing the “Cali Group” logo
SOT
VO - Payment kiosk testing site in the
office.
As part of our holding company called the
Cali Group, we've been investing in
restaurant and retail technologies for the
last 10 years.
And so the simple idea we had was, well let
people opt in to a system that remembers
their order based on a picture and then pull
up their past order from the last time and
then they can just click repeat order because
most people order the same thing every
time.
10
SOT - Miller
VO - Four televisions screens are on the
wall in the PopID office, showing real-time
usage data of the product.
And so we did that. And the results were
great. The throughput went way up. So
people were doing transactions in like, five
to 10 seconds. It also increased ticket size
for the restaurant. So you know,
operationally we were making more money
when people were checking in with their
face than if they were just typing in their
order from scratch and using a card.
TEXT (fade in) THOMAS COSTELLO, A PROJECT
MANAGER AT POPID, IS GOING TO A
LOCAL SHOP UPDATE THE
SOFTWARE ON THE POPPAY KIOSK.
VO - Thomas (Tom) Costello
Project Manager, PopID
He walks out of the office and towards his
car.
Alright, after you.
VO - Costello
He drives to the shop.
NAT SOUND
Yeah, so these guys are really great. It's like
a fitness and health center.
You know, a coffee shop is a great example
where I get the same exact thing every
single day, from the same coffee shop.
VO - Costello
Scenic traveling shots from passenger
window.
NAT SOUND - Costello
Tom enters his car and starts driving to the
shop.
So sometimes we go in there though when
it's early in the morning, and everyone's
trying to get the coffee and get out of there.
And the poor barista is like, you know, she's
working like four different stations at once,
right? So we're like, well, if I can just walk
in, check in with PopPay and reorder the
same coffee I get every single day and pay
with my face, I've just increased throughput
a lot, right? And so it's one less thing the
barista has to worry about.
NAT SOUND - Costello
Tom exits the car
Alright, let’s go.
NAT SOUND - Exterior shot of BAR
Wellness Center.
NAT SOUND - Tom walks into the shop.
11
NAT SOUND - Tom waves at Jacob, who is
working at the coffee shop
What's going on, man?
VO - Jacob Saldana
Owner, BAR Wellness Center
Close-up of PopPay payment terminal in
the shop.
SOT
Probably about a year and a half, maybe?
You know, we've been we've been involved
with PopPay, yeah.
VO - Saldana
He is behind the counter, pouring coffee.
SOT
The direction that a lot of things are going
and a lot of people want to be early to that
game and be a part of a movement before it
becomes everywhere, you know?
NAT SOUND - Costello
Costello helps Saldana with the payment
system behind the counter.
Yeah, so we're gonna finish building that
out.
NAT SOUND - Saldana You know, younger generation, or whatever,
it's the norm for them. So like, they're super
open to it.
NAT SOUND - Saldana
Three customers attempt to use PopPay.
Instead of taking payments on your credit
card now, you can link it to your own
PopPay account, which actually then links
to your face.
NAT SOUND - Customer - Continued from
above
So I just stand here and it just like scans my
face?
NAT SOUND - Wide shot of the PopID
office.
VO - Dyankov
Sign on the wall inside PopID office that
says, “We’d know that face anywhere.”
VO - Close-up on dual cameras at the top of
the standing kiosk
NAT SOUND - Dyankov stands in front of
the kiosk.
We're taking streams from two lenses
simultaneously. And we analyze those
frames and we build what we call a 3D face
map.
NAT SOUND - Dyankov
Standing in front of the second POS system.
So this is, this is our point of sale (POS)
system. And the camera is very, it's identical
to the one that you saw on the kiosk.
12
NAT SOUND - Dyankov
Standing in front of the third POS system.
VO - Close-up animations on the PayPAP
terminal
NAT SOUND - Demonstrating the process
of using PopPay on a payment terminal
And the third one that we have is our
newest addition, it's called, we call it a
PayPAP.
And it's really, it's really quick. It takes less
than a second to actually scan your face and
process the payment. So I can show you.
Ask you for a tip, select the tip. Face scan
and that's it.
NAT SOUND - Exterior establishing shot
the sidewalk outside BAR Wellness Bar
NAT SOUND - Saldana - Continued from
above.
Basically, you stand in front of it, you can
check in and when you check in versus like
putting your phone number in, you're
checking in with your face.
NAT SOUND - Customer - Continued from
above.
Little bit scary. The future. I know.
NAT SOUND - Saldana - Continued from
above.
You said iced, right?
Girl 1: Yes, thank you.
Saldana: I’ll get that right out for ya.
VO - Costello
Exiting the shop.
NAT SOUND
VO
Driving back to the PopID office.
NAT SOUND
VO
Driving back to the PopID office.
Like I hear it all the time, like there is this
hesitation towards like facial recognition,
right?
And I mean, I get it, you know, but so that's
like the biggest barrier that we've had to
face in growing this product. But what
we've done and what, you know, I plan to
keep doing is putting transparency on how
our data and how our privacy works. Like if
we want to truly be adapted by the public
and mass they need to understand how we
work.
NAT SOUND - Costello
Driving back to the PopID office.
So we put consumer privacy very much at
the forefront of our brand, right. And it is
the one thing that if we get wrong, it kills us
as a company and it kills what we're trying
to do. So we take it very, very seriously.
13
VO - Costello
Arriving at the PopID office.
You know, the data we're storing is
essentially a picture of your face that's
encrypted and secure, and a phone number.
Whereas you look at guys like Facebook,
you know, I can find your Facebook profile
online, just by searching your name.
NAT SOUND - Costello
Driving back to the PopID office.
I remember there being such a pushback,
oh, I'm not gonna put pictures of me online
and my family and my interests. That's
creepy, you know.
VO - Costello
Exiting car and walking to the PopID office
building.
Well, you know, I can find everything
online. And I don't need to have, you know,
data, look, you know, data searching
knowledge or any of that. I just, I just need
to know your name. And I can get
everything.
VO - Neuman
Costello enters the PopID office.
SOT
So with PopID, they are comparing against
a database of multiple individuals at the
moment, that's a relatively small database.
Certainly, their expectations, their business
model, includes that expanding to be
basically the entire population.
VO - Costello
He approaches his office door and uses face
scan to unlock it, then enters through the
door.
We can all look at our iPhones, we're using
biometrics every single day in our lives. So
I'm like, you know what, if this is going to
be the way of the future, you know, we need
to make sure that technology is built
responsibly.
SOT - Neuman
VO - Neuman works at his desk
When that expands to be a much larger set,
the level of detail on which those
comparisons are made is going to naturally
go down, resulting in perhaps a larger
incidence of false positives.
NAT SOUND - Miller
Miller stands from his desk and walks
around the PopID office.
Are we going to fire up some lunch today?
Yeah, what are you in the mood for?
SOT - Miller I think, in a lot of ways, face pay will
happen faster overseas than it'll happen
here.
14
VO - Miller
PopID employees place their lunch orders
over the phone.
We've launched in Japan with SoftBank as
our partner, we've launched in the UAE
now.
SOT - Miller
VO - PopID employees place their lunch
orders over the phone.
And I think, in those parts of the world, the
novelty and excitement and coolness of the
technology dwarfs any concerns about
privacy. What we seen here in the States is
that the target consumer for our product is
really a college student who has grown up
taking pictures of themselves on Snapchat
and TikTok and Instagram.
SOT - Miller And so the idea that you take a picture
yourself to check in, get your order and also
pay, that resonates really well with the
younger demographic.
VO - Tony Lomelino
Director of Operations, PopID
He tests a standing kiosk in the office.
NAT SOUND - He places a photo on his
phone screen in front of the kiosk.
So another part of the testing we do here
has to do with our liveness.
So I just have a picture of myself here on
my phone. And I'm going to present it to
this, like... And it's never going to accept
that. And so that will never pass, because so
in here, there are two cameras, like I was
talking about, and it does a binocular
liveness check. And it's taking each image
and figuring out, am I looking at a flat
image? Or am I looking at an actual three
dimensional object?
VO - Dyankov - He works on his computer
while at a standing desk.
SOT
VO - He works on his computer while at a
standing desk, then walks away to talk to a
coworker.
SOT
There are multiple things in place that will
help us prevent fraud. One of them is what
you already saw, the liveness checks that we
perform. So it can't just go and show a
picture of somebody else. Well we keep
transaction images for up to 30 days in case
of disputes and then they automatically get
deleted. I understand that people have
various concerns, but we're not in the
business of doing surveillance, we will
never be there.
We are not tracking really anything. All
we're doing is verifying that this is you, it's
a real person, and it's you're standing in
front of the payment terminal.
15
VO - Miller
Miller is seated, Dyankov is standing and
they are chatting inside the office
And so that's why, you know, the face pay
system is more secure than pretty much any
other payment system especially cards,
because you can't commit fraud when
you're taking a picture yourself because any
questions are quickly resolved with the
picture. Who was it?
SOT - Miller
VO - Dyankov stands in the office with his
arms folded.
SOT
VO - Dyankov speaks with Lomelino.
And so we received a note one night from a
student that said, hey, I think your system
mischarged me, I got a text that I was
charged and I was asleep at that time, so it
couldn't have been me, you know, please fix
it. And of course, so we looked up the
picture. And we shared it with the student
and said, well, it looks like you, and he said,
oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, I drank too much
and I went out and that's right, bought
chicken at two o'clock in the morning and I
totally forgot.
VO - Miller
Dyankov speaks with Lomelino.
VO - Medium shot of four framed
newspapers that are hanging on the PopID
office wall.
SOT
You know, one of the biggest advantages of
face pay is that those kinds of things can't
take place because you have the picture of
the person that paid.
You know, when you enroll, we take your
picture.
And we store that photo in a very secure
cloud database. We made a huge investment
in the security infrastructure.
SOT - Dyankov We don't share any information with any
third party.
VO - Dyankov
Close-up of news articles about PopID
inside frames on the office wall.
It's within the system. And another thing to
point out is you can deactivate your profile
at any time and we'll delete all the data.
SOT - Neuman
VO - News articles from Capital One data
breach
We've had a lot of data breaches where
companies have stored data in the cloud,
look at the Capital One breach that occurred
about a year and a half ago.
SOT - Neuman So the fact that the company says, quote,
securely in the cloud…well, what does it
mean? We hear about data breaches all the
time.
16
SOT - Miller We don't store card information.
VO - Miller
Close-up of news articles about PopID
inside frames on the office wall.
SOT
So we tokenize the card and rely on third
parties to store card information. Big
companies like VISA have products that
allow you to do that. So the thing people
have to get comfortable with for face pay is
that their pictures stored somewhere in the
cloud.
And for most young people, that is, that's a
no brainer.
NAT SOUND - Establishing shot of PopID
building from outside, panning from the
street to the building
VO - Miller
Continuing previous establishing shot.
SOT
The initial vision for focusing on college
campuses and college students was, instead
of getting a physical ID card, when you get
to campus, you just take your picture. Okay,
you don't have to worry about losing a card,
you don't have to worry about anybody
stealing it. You just walk up and the door
unlocks because it sees you.
VO - Violet Miller, John Miller’s daughter,
a PopID employee enters the building from
the alley using facial recognition door lock.
SOT
VO - The outside of Miller’s home, his
street, and a close-up on an American flag
hanging above his garage.
That product, we've deployed in about 1000
locations. And so every day, you know,
many people are using their face to enter
buildings. Okay, in my house, we don't we
don't have keys, we don't have key codes,
we only enter using our face.
And so it's great, my kids love it. It's super
convenient. And so I'll never live in another
place without it.
VO Violet Miller
violet outside door, violet outside door
closeup
Violet approaches and enters gate using
facial recognition
Um, it was put in about a year ago.
17
SOT - Violet Miller
John Miller’s daughter
VO - She enters the house using a facial
recognition device to unlock the front door.
I feel like my generation is really used to
like posting pictures of themselves, like on
Instagram or TikTok. So I feel like using a
face to get into a house, they're not really,
they're kind of used to just putting their face
out there.
VO - Miller
Sitting at a desk, speaking on the phone, in
the PopID office.
SOT
Our focus is really on the payment side.
The payment market is just orders of
magnitude bigger than the entry market.
And so that was the main thing.
VO - Miller
Sitting at a desk, speaking on the phone, in
the PopID office.
If you're going to spend a lot of time and
money building a new authentication
service, you want to monetize it with the
application that gives you the biggest
return. We still use that product to help
build the system and the platform and get
people comfortable using their face to
identify themselves. There's so many
reasons why it doesn't make sense to have
to give all these different people key cards
and deal with lost keys and stolen cards and
people leaving the company and still having
their key cards, so.
NAT SOUND - The landscape near
Graafstra’s house, snowy mountains in the
background.
NAT SOUND - Graasftra
He gets in his car.
It's gonna have a vague smell of
McDonald's. (laughs)
NAT SOUND - Graafstra drives to the new
house.
TEXT
AMAL RECENTLY BOUGHT A HOME
WITH SPACE TO SUPPORT HIS
GROWING BUSINESS.
NAT SOUND - Graafstra
Amal parks his car at the new house and
walks into the basement.
Okay, this is it.
So this is it, or soon to be anyway.
18
VO - Graafstra - Wide shots of the
demolition in the basement.
NAT SOUND
You know, being able to actually have a big
office space, do a business space, then a
project space and then like the lab space
outside and have that all separate, it'll be
nice to not have to sit there breathing like
acetone fumes and stuff like that while I'm
trying to be on a call.
VO - Graafstra
Wide shots of the demolition in the
basement.
You know, from 2013, it was like maybe
one sale a week, you know.
NAT SOUND - Graafstra
Wide shots of the demolition in the
basement.
But ever since, it's been slowly building,
slowly building. And now we're getting
three, four, maybe five orders a week and -
or sorry, a day.
I would estimate we're probably around
200,000 or so people with implants of some
sort that are consumer grade retail implants.
VO - Graafstra
He exits the basement, enters his car, and
drives home.
The concept of kind of fundamentally
changing the human condition is nothing
new.
The standard kind of human curiosity and
human desire to be better, faster, stronger.
That's always been there. It's always been
innate.
I don't have to like declare myself a
biohacker or transhumanist or a cyborg or
anything like that.
SOT - Graafstra
Seated at his desk in the old house.
VO - Driving home.
I just think that those things are natural
outcomes of just being human.
SOT - Graafstra So that's where we’re at.
19
References
Campbell-Kelly, M., Aspray, W., Snowman, D. P., McKay, S. R., & Christian, W. (1997). A
history of the information machine. Computers in Physics, 11(3), 256. https://doi.org/
10.1063/1.4822551
Ceruzzi, P. (1996). From scientific instrument to everyday appliance: The emergence of personal
computers, 1970–77. History and Technology, 13(1), 1–31. https://doi.org/
10.1080/07341519608581893.
Halamka, J., A. Juels, A. Stubblefield, and J. Westhues. “The Security Implications of Verichip
Cloning.” Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association 13, no. 6 (2006):
601–7. https://doi.org/10.1197/jamia.m2143.
Kanagy, M. (2021, June 6). Senior thesis takes new approach to studying body positivity. The
Daily of the University of Washington. Retrieved January 8, 2023, from https://
www.dailyuw.com/special_sections/grad_edition_2021/senior-thesis-takes-new-
approach-to-studying-body-positivity/article_b206d726-
c3fc-11eb-87af-53a45233c4a6.html
Kent, Jonathan. “Malaysia Car Thieves Steal Finger.” BBC News. BBC, March 31, 2005. http://
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4396831.stm.
Marshall, K. P. (1999). Has Technology Introduced New Ethical Problems? Journal of Business
Ethics, 19(1), 81–90. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1006154023743
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(2022, October 19). Retrieved January 8, 2023, from https://www.nielsen.com/insights/
2022/sports-provide-a-lift-to-broadcast-tv-in-september-but-all-signs-still-point-to-
streaming/
Wu, F., & Huberman, B. A. (2009). Persistence and success in the attention economy. SSRN
Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1369484
20

Abstract (if available)

Abstract For decades, authenticating one’s identity on a computer was as simple as typing in a password. But a growing amount of personal information tied to this string of characters means that it is time for the digital world to explore new options. Experts reveal three factors to identity verification: something you know (like a password), something you have (like a keycard), and something about you (like your fingerprint). This documentary takes an inside look at next-generation technologies that aim to expedite and secure the process of identity verification while battling inevitable and mounting concerns over privacy. The stakes of nailing this process are high - modern-day banking information, health records, and social media accounts all hinge on the truthful answer to one question - are you who you say you are?

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Asset Metadata

Creator Kisela, Rachel (author)

Core Title Who are you?

School Annenberg School for Communication

Degree Master of Arts

Degree Program Journalism (Specialized Journalism)

Degree Conferral Date 2023-05

Publication Date 01/30/2023

Defense Date 01/28/2023

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag authentication,data,digital,facial recognition,identification,identity,implant,OAI-PMH Harvest,password,privacy,RFID,Security,Sociology,Technology,transhumanism

Format theses (aat)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Birman, Daniel (committee chair), Neuman, Clifford (committee member), Sender, Stuart (committee member)

Creator Email rachelkisela@icloud.com,rkisela@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-oUC112723819

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Legacy Identifier etd-KiselaRach-11452

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Format theses (aat)

Rights Kisela, Rachel

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