General Intelligence
The DHS Is Working to Access 300 Million More Facial Recognition Photos
The DHS is linking its facial recognition database to the FBI, the Department of Defense, and the Department of State
Welcome to General Intelligence, OneZero’s weekly dive into the A.I. news and research that matters.
Historically, federal agencies like the FBI and Department of Homeland Security have had to rely on their own data to run facial recognition or automated fingerprint searches. For example, the DHS has access to photos of people who have crossed the U.S. border; the FBI has a database of mugshots.
But now federal agencies are working to greatly expand access to each others’ facial recognition databases, according to a privacy assessment released by the Department of Homeland Security earlier this month. The move would allow DHS to more easily search the enormous databases of passport or visa holders, as well as many who have been in contact with the criminal justice system.
DHS, which manages its own database of fingerprints, face images, and iris scans, is currently linking its systems to similar databases operated by the FBI, Department of Defense, and Department of State.
