Biometrics

Lawmakers Propose Bill Limiting Government's Use of Facial Recognition

The legislation would require law enforcement agencies to obtain a warrant before conducting facial recognition surveillance.

  • By Jack Corrigan

DHS Wants Self-Service Stations for Airport Security

The tech would allow passengers to screen themselves and skip lengthy lines at today’s security checkpoints.

  • By Jack Corrigan

Did Body Cameras Backfire?

Body cameras were supposed to fix a broken system. What happened?

  • By Sidney Fussell, The Atlantic

Silicon Valley Rep Calls For Task Force, Legislation on Government Use of Biometrics

Rep. Ro Khanna said Congress should dictate exactly how federal agencies use technologies like facial recognition. But first, the legislative body needs to get properly educated.

  • By Aaron Boyd

Justice to Require DNA Sampling of Nearly All Detained Migrants

Once collected, the samples will be moved into the FBI’s massive DNA database. 

  • By Brandi Vincent

Lawmaker: TSA Should Halt Facial Recognition Programs Absent Formal Policies

The agency said it is working on those policies while the technology is tested through pilot programs.

  • By Aaron Boyd

Border Patrol Agents Might Get Body Cameras to Record Interactions With the Public

The agency is also interested in learning how body cameras could be integrated with its facial recognition program.

  • By Aaron Boyd

Legacy Systems Held DHS' Biometrics Programs Back. Not Anymore.

The cloud-based HART system, which will house data on hundreds of millions of people, promises to significantly expand the department’s use of facial recognition and other biometric software, as well as its partnerships with external agencies.

  • By Jack Corrigan

A Federal Privacy Board Is Reviewing DHS’ Airport Facial Recognition Programs

An agency shared new details around its recent observations of one TSA biometrics pilot—and what it aims to assess in a comprehensive report it’s generating over the course of the next year.

  • By Brandi Vincent

Wi-Fi System Identifies People Through Walls By Their Walk

A new system uses video of a person walking to identify that person through walls using two WiFi transceivers.

  • By Sonia Fernandez, Futurity

‘EarEcho’ Uses Your Ear to Unlock Your Phone

A new prototype technology called EarEcho uses modified wireless earbuds to authenticate smartphone users via their ear canal, researchers report.

  • By Cory Nealon, Futurity

IRS Testing Behavioral Analytics to Verify Online Users

The agency is piloting a proof-of-concept that will track how individual taxpayers interact with its online systems.

  • By Aaron Boyd

I Researched Uighur Society in China for 8 Years and Watched How Technology Opened New Opportunities – Then Became a Trap

The Muslim ethnic minority must carry their smartphones or risk being detained.

  • By Darren Byler, The Conversation

An Inside Look at All the Data CBP Collects About Everyone Crossing U.S. Borders

The agency is putting more data in the cloud and integrating more of its collection efforts.

  • By Aaron Boyd

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The Intelligence Community is Exploring Long-Range Biometric Identification 

A new IARPA program aims to build biometric technology that can identify people using cameras stationed on far off rooftops and unmanned aircraft.

  • By Jack Corrigan

Study: More than Half of Americans Trust Law Enforcement to Use Facial Recognition Responsibly

Pew Research Center’s study is the latest to conclude Americans are growing more comfortable with having their faces scanned.

  • By Frank Konkel

TSA Launches Facial Recognition Pilot at Las Vegas Airport 

The agency will assess how the tech verifies travelers’ live facial images against pictures taken from travelers’ identity documents.

  • By Brandi Vincent

DHS is Collecting Biometrics on Thousands of Refugees Who Will Never Enter the U.S.

Most refugees who apply for asylum in the U.S. never set foot in the country, but under an agreement with the United Nations, DHS and its partners can still build biometric profiles on them.

  • By Jack Corrigan

Facial Recognition Software Prompts Privacy, Racism Concerns in Cities and States

Some lawmakers are proposing to limit its use even as law enforcement officials and landlords are embracing it.

  • By The Pew Charitable Trusts

CBP Plans to Use Facial Recognition For ‘All Passenger Applications’

The agency is ramping up its use of biometric identification technology as part of a broader effort to overhaul its traveler processing systems.

  • By Jack Corrigan

Senators Urge Homeland Security to Release Mandated Report on its Use of Biometrics

Lawmakers say its delay raises concerns about the Homeland Security Department's continued collection of facial recognition data.

  • By Brandi Vincent