US government agencies plan to increase their use of facial recognition technology:
A 90-page report published by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) details how federal agencies currently use, and plan to expand their use of, facial recognition systems. Ten of 24 agencies surveyed plan to broaden their use of the technology by 2023. Ten agencies are also investing in research and development for the technology.
The report, published August 24, is the outcome of a study requested by Congress on federal agencies' use of facial recognition during fiscal year 2020. It characterizes the use of the technology as "increasingly common," with most agencies surveyed using it for cybersecurity, domestic law enforcement, or physical security. The report also asked all agencies that participated in the study about their future plans for facial recognition.
The results come after a year of public backlash from privacy and civil liberties advocates against police and government use of the technology. Facial recognition has proved to be less accurate on people with darker skin, women, and younger and older people. A report from the GAO released earlier this summer also described a lack of oversight by federal law enforcement agencies that use the technology.
Eighteen of the 24 federal agencies surveyed currently use some form of facial recognition, with many agencies owning more than one system. Some federal agencies that use facial recognition fell outside the scope of this report, and no comprehensive survey on government use of the technology has been done. Most of the systems in use by those surveyed are federally owned, though six systems come from commercial vendors including Clearview AI, Vigilant Solutions, and Acuant FaceID.
The Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, Interior, Justice, State, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs all plan to expand their use of facial recognition between 2020 and 2023. These 10 agencies are implementing 17 different facial recognition systems. Thirteen of those systems will be owned by the agencies, two will be owned by local law enforcement, and two agencies are using Clearview AI.
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Clearview AI's co-founder Hoan Ton-That recently defended his startup's use of controversial facial recognition software:
If you're skeptical about whether your company will ever use facial recognition technology as a business tool, you're not alone. Perhaps the most prominent facial recognition technology provider in the world, Clearview AI, has attracted significant criticism and raised ethical concerns even as it has been used by law enforcement.
In a live interview with the Washington Post last week, New York-based Clearview AI's co-founder and CEO Hoan Ton-That addressed questions about the ethical and legal implications of his software, which became first known to many Americans when a billionaire used it to identify his daughter's dinner date, and for the involvement of far-right individuals in the creation of the company. Pressed on questions about the legal and ethical choices his firm has made while creating a searchable database of 20 billion facial images, Ton-That repeatedly brought up examples where the use cases of Clearview AI's technology would look better in the public eye, mentioning its use in helping catch criminals in child pornography and child abuse cases. Ton-That also pointed to the use of Clearview AI's technology by the Ukrainian government to identify dead Russian soldiers, for notifying their families of their passing.
While Clearview AI has some 20 billion facial images to feed its current product, the dataset is being used only by governments so far. "There's no non-governmental use of this dataset at this time," Ton-That said, adding that "we've developed as prototypes different versions of our technology for retail and banking."
Ton-That went on to say he welcomes regulation and his company will not do business with governments he described as "authoritarian."
Originally spotted on The Eponymous Pickle.
Previously:
Ukraine Reportedly Adopts Clearview AI to Track Russian Invaders
Italy Slaps Facial Recognition Firm Clearview AI With €20 Million Fine
Facial Recognition Firm Clearview AI Tells Investors: It's Seeking Massive Expansion
France Has Ordered Clearview AI to Delete its Facial Recognition Data
US Government Agencies Plan to Increase Their Use of Facial Recognition Technology
And many more
(Score: 4, Insightful) by DannyB on Thursday August 26 2021, @07:39PM (7 children)
The federal government should be looking to decrease its use of fecal recognition technology rather than increase it.
The first step will be a consolidation of fecal recognition databases. The data will creep into unintended uses. The database samples will be shared with more and more agencies. And law enforcement will make a grab for the data.
It is going to be quite inconvenient if the use of fecal recognition technology becomes increasingly common, according to TFA.
What about the movements of innocent persons? Will our laws and protections keep up?
All this fecal recognition technology could lead to a police state where all of your movements are carefully tracked by government reaching into your private life.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 4, Funny) by Tork on Thursday August 26 2021, @07:58PM (4 children)
Look, there are bad people out there trying to get you. Your freedoms should be your number-two priority. I mean what if someone steals your shit, gonna shrug and make a corny joke?
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 26 2021, @08:39PM (3 children)
Ironic that you can get arrested in the UK for making jokes.
(Score: 2) by Tork on Thursday August 26 2021, @09:36PM (2 children)
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 2, Interesting) by DeathMonkey on Thursday August 26 2021, @10:03PM (1 child)
I think that's where you go "gas the Jews" and then later go "just kidding brah."
Mostly joking, actually. To my Yankee sensibilities this seems a bit much. [bbc.com]
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Saturday August 28 2021, @01:02AM
I got curious about that, and went looking. Didn't find any direct links, but this is a sort of near hit - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgU-fdQEz48 [youtube.com]
IMO, it's more retarded than it is hateful. I fail to see the supposed humor in teaching a dog to respond to "gas the Jews" or "Seig Heil". But, then again, most of America laughs at retarded television shows that I don't find funny.
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Thursday August 26 2021, @10:11PM
And just wait until some hacker dumps the database and crapfloods the tubes!
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 2) by corey on Thursday August 26 2021, @11:41PM
I think it’s inevitable that this is coming. AI/NN based object and gave recognition is front and centre of the big technology companies. I’m an EE and I get weekly emails from Xilinx and Intel going on about their SoCs and FPGAs improving AI based computer vision and object recognition. That and 5G is where all the focus is right now (computing at the edge as well).
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Thursday August 26 2021, @08:04PM
I definitely don't want this. Just like I don't want someone else's hand in my pocket. At best it's just an invasion of my privacy. The only other person's hand that should be in my pocket is my Wife.
Perhaps its' an old dead beaten horse, but look at what happened with the Jews in WWII. Not just them either, they were just the single largest group. Sure, we're not NAZI Germany. Still, giving the government powers that would have made Hitler drool, isn't a good thing. Perhaps, it's inevitable that we'll slowly crawl down that path. Doesn't mean we shouldn't try to protect the rights of our fellow citizens.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 26 2021, @08:22PM
Gotta rise up!
No matter how unpopular things are we keep barreling towards dystopia. We must unite and demand change. Have an EMP set off in the data centers, scrub this nefarious Sauron out of our systems. Have law enforcement do their jobs within the bounds of Constitutional law. No "on the internetc" exclusions, no end runs around common sense expectations of privacy. Down with the panopticon!
(Score: 4, Insightful) by anotherblackhat on Thursday August 26 2021, @08:32PM (1 child)
IMO the worst part of these technologies is the blind faith "authorities" put in them.
Even if they reach 99.9% accuracy, they're going to find terrorists in every crowd of a thousand.
96% accuracy? Well, I guess it's better to let 4 innocent people suffer than to allow 96 go free.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 26 2021, @11:41PM
Damn straight, who wants to let 96 innocent people go free!
(Score: 4, Informative) by Mojibake Tengu on Thursday August 26 2021, @08:36PM (3 children)
You guys do this to yourselves. This is the very government you cheerfully voted for, democratically. The agencies is people like you.
Respect Authorities. Know your social status. Woke responsibly.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Tork on Thursday August 26 2021, @09:41PM (2 children)
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 26 2021, @09:46PM
Because Republicans are full on tribal identity politics, y'know, those things they like to scream about liberals. Party over everything else, and as long as someone like Cruz is helping the party line they don't care about how awful he is.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Thursday August 26 2021, @10:10PM
The agencies are going to do whatever they can to advance their mission until Congress tells them otherwise.
Support the Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act [senate.gov]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 27 2021, @03:05PM
facially recognizes the facial reconizers?