Biometrics

NTIA Announces Request for Comment on Intersection of Data and Civil Rights

The head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration said the agency’s inquiry “will help us analyze the outsized consequences that data practices can have on marginalized communities.”

  • By Edward Graham

Air Force Wants to Add Facial Recognition to Automated Base Entrance

Scott Air Force Base is looking for verification and identification algorithms for a facial recognition pilot.

  • By Aaron Boyd

TSA Wants to Automate ID Verification at Checkpoint Security

The agency is testing using facial recognition to verify passengers’ information with the information on record.

  • By Kirsten Errick

GSA to Study Demographic Equity in Remote Identity Tech

The agency plans to test the accuracy of tools like facial recognition software across different demographic groups. 

  • By Kirsten Errick

Senate Dems Call on ICE to Halt Facial Recognition and Buying from Data Brokers

Sens. Ed Markey and Ron Wyden are also pressing the immigration enforcement agency to detail their use of surveillance technologies.

  • By Natalie Alms

Audits of CBP’s Facial Recognition Partners ‘Vital to Building Trust,’ Lawmaker Says

The agency has “a ways to go” in auditing facial recognition partners for privacy and security, a watchdog noted.

  • By Edward Graham

Amazon Admits to Giving Police Ring Footage Without Owners’ Permission

The smart-doorbell company, which has partnered with more than 2,000 law enforcement agencies, said in a letter that it shared multiple videos with police departments without first seeking user consent.

  • By Edward Graham

Key Lawmaker: Digital Passport Only Way to Deter Crypto Use for Ransomware Attacks

The House Science subcommittee chairman—a REAL ID enthusiast—is probing the viability of “privacy enhancing technologies” for biometric data such as facial-feature mappings.

  • By Mariam Baksh

IRS Leader Explains Why the IRS Went to ID.me 

The agency needs to be able to identity proof online users at a certain level to be able to offer a full menu of online services, Rettig told lawmakers.

  • By Natalie Alms

Senators Call for Removal of Facial Recognition Tech in Unemployment Services

The lawmakers asked the Department of Labor to help state unemployment agencies remove facial recognition technology from application forms. 

  • By Alexandra Kelley

CBP Revitalizes Biometric Data Collection At Border

Customs and Border Protection jumpstarted a DNA collection program in fall of 2021 to verify family relations, but will not store data it in the FBI's Combined DNA Index System.

  • By Alexandra Kelley

Lawmakers Call for End to Government’s Use of Facial Recognition Tech

The request specifically calls out “dangers” in multiple federal agencies operating Clearview AI’s facial recognition technology.

  • By Frank Konkel

Agencies Are Tapping a Facial Recognition Company to Prove You’re You. That Raises Concerns about Privacy, Accuracy and Fairness

Federal and state governments are turning to a facial recognition company to ensure that people accessing services are who they say they are. The move promises to cut down on fraud, but at what cost?

  • By James Hendler, The Conversation

ACLU Calls for Halt of Homeland Security’s Use Of Facial Recognition Technology

The civil rights organization said that the biometrics technology can lead to discriminatory arrests based on race.

  • By Alexandra Kelley
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DHS Researching Public Perception of Facial Recognition and AI Use 

The Department of Homeland Security is collecting privacy concerns as critics fight to ban facial recognition outright. 

  • By Alexandra Kelley

Bill Would Block Contractors from Selling Data Harvested with AI Tools to Third Parties

A bipartisan proposal would also clarify that the government ultimately owns the data collected by federal contractors and their artificial intelligence systems. 

  • By Alexandra Kelley

White House Wants to Know How Biometrics Like Facial Recognition Are Being Used

A request for comments is polling governments and the private sector on the full breadth of uses, whether it’s IDing faces or predicting malintent.

  • By Aaron Boyd

DOJ Seeks Congressional Funding to Implement Policy on Body-Worn Cameras

The announcement follows tensions with some local police departments over the authority to release footage recorded during joint operations.

  • By Mariam Baksh

The Taliban Reportedly Have Control of US Biometric Devices – a Lesson in Life-and-Death Consequences of Data Privacy

The Defense Department viewed “identity dominance” as the cornerstone of multiple counterterrorism strategies.

  • By Margaret Hu, The Conversation

Army Wants to Install Facial Recognition, Video Analytics at Child Development Centers

The branch plans to pilot a new facial recognition system at the daycare facility at Fort Jackson.

  • By Aaron Boyd

Facial Recognition Tech Use Increasing Among Federal Agencies

Use cases included criminal investigations, building security and access to digital assets like smartphones and security agency websites.

  • By Aaron Boyd