Privacy & New Media

Facial recognition database used by FBI is out of control, House committee hears

3/27/2017

Olivia Solon

The Guardian

    During a House oversight committee hearing, committee chair Jason Chaffetz stated that the FBI’s facial recognition database, which contains around half of all adult Americans’ photographs (typically from driver’s licenses and passports), could easily be “used by bad actors to harass or stalk individuals” and otherwise target individuals. Worryingly, this database paired with real-time facial recognition technology could create situations in which anyone could be identified anywhere anytime they leave their home. Chaffetz then suggests that proper oversight is necessary to protect Americans.

    The FBI’s facial recognition database, known as their Next Generation Identification program, was brought about as an upgrade to prior existing fingerprint databases. And, unlike fingerprint databases, these photos are collected even before any arrests happen. Additionally, the system “does not test for false positives nor for racial bias,” rendering the FBI unable to tell the difference between incorrectly identified innocent citizens and potential criminals, and especially places people of color at risk (previous studies have concluded that facial recognition technology is markedly worse at identifying black faces, in addition to the fact that “African Americans are disproportionately subjected to police facial recognition”).

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