. 24/7 Space News .
CYBER WARS
Huge FBI facial recognition database flawed: audit
By Rob Lever
Washington (AFP) June 16, 2016


A facial recognition database compiled by the FBI has more than 400 million images to help criminal investigations, but lacks adequate safeguards for accuracy and privacy protection, a congressional audit shows.

The huge database -- which enables investigators to search images to match those of criminal suspects -- "is far greater than had previously been understood" and raises concerns "about the risk of innocent Americans being inadvertently swept up in criminal investigations," said Senator Al Franken, who requested the study.

"I will be asking tough questions about the FBI's use of facial recognition technology," the Minnesota senator said as he released the Government Accountability Office report on Wednesday.

The FBI's database of 411 million photos includes some 30 million criminal mugshots and 140 million images from visa applications by foreign nationals, the GAO found.

It also contains drivers' license pictures from 16 US states and 6.7 million photos from the Defense Department's biometric identification system of individuals detained by US forces abroad, among others.

The system enables the FBI to use pictures of unidentified people to determine if they are being sought in criminal investigations, and can also assist local law enforcement agencies.

But the FBI has failed to adequately assess the system's accuracy for its own images and those held by other agencies, the audit found.

"The FBI should better ensure privacy and accuracy," the report said.

The agency has not done enough to protect against "false positives," which can prompt the authorities to target innocent people, the GAO said.

"FBI officials stated that they have not assessed how often (the system's) face recognition searches erroneously match a person to the database," the report said.

"The accuracy of a system can have a significant impact on individual privacy and civil liberties," it added, saying that the false positive rate should be analyzed "prior to the deployment of the system."

"The report shows that the FBI hasn't done enough to audit its own use of facial recognition technology or that of other law enforcement agencies that partner with the FBI, nor has it taken adequate steps to ensure the technology's accuracy," Franken said.

- Worrisome impact -

Civil liberties advocates said the report was worrisome.

Alvaro Bedoya, who heads the Center on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown University's law school, called the report "startling," saying it revealed that facial recognition is being used on a much larger scale than had been disclosed.

"They've done this without any judicial oversight, without any audits, without any statutes that rein in their work," he said.

"We don't know if it's been misused and the people subject to this don't know they were a part of it. It's a breathtaking exercise of an extraordinarily powerful technology with little to no oversight."

Jennifer Lynch of the Electronic Frontier Foundation agreed.

The report shows the FBI "has access to hundreds of millions more photos than we ever thought -- and the bureau has been hiding this fact from the public, in flagrant violation of federal law and agency policy, for years," she said.

The database contains "an unprecedented number of photographs, most of which are of Americans and foreigners who have committed no crimes," she added.

Jay Stanley of the American Civil Liberties Union said errors "mean random people could be falsely identified as potential criminals and find themselves coming under the FBI's powerful investigatory microscope."

This "could be not only invading people's privacy, but also exposing them to accusations of wrongdoing," he said in a blog post.

The Justice Department, the FBI's parent agency, responded to the report saying the GAO "does not fully appreciate the nature of its face recognition service for investigative leads."

The FBI program "proceeded carefully and deliberately" and followed its privacy guidelines, operating "in strict compliance with state and federal law," it added.

The GAO's report noted that the program -- which became fully operational in April 2015 following a pilot program launched in 2011 -- has already been used to apprehend a bank robbery suspect and helped identify a sex offender who had been a fugitive for nearly 20 years.


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
Cyberwar - Internet Security News - Systems and Policy Issues






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

Previous Report
CYBER WARS
Google chief says Israeli tech second only to Silicon Valley
Tel Aviv (AFP) June 14, 2016
A top Google official on Tuesday hailed Israel's tech sector, saying it trailed only Silicon Valley in the United States when it comes to "initiatives". Eric Schmidt, formerly Google chief executive and now executive chairman of its parent company Alphabet, said Israel, a country of only around eight million people, was punching far above its weight in technology. "For a relatively small ... read more


CYBER WARS
US may approve private venture moon mission: report

Fifty Years of Moon Dust

Airbus Defence and Space to guide lunar lander to the Moon

A new, water-logged history of the Moon

CYBER WARS
Remarkably diverse flora in Utah, USA, trains scientists for future missions on Mars

NASA Mars Orbiters Reveal Seasonal Dust Storm Pattern

Study of Opportunity Wheel Scuff Continues

Mars 'colonists' to undergo five days of tests

CYBER WARS
Disney brings its brand to Shanghai with new theme park

Tech, beauty intersect in Silicon Valley

Second Starliner Begins Assembly in Florida Factory

Mexican engineer extracts gas from urine to heat shower

CYBER WARS
Bolivia to pay back loan to China for Tupac Katari satellite

China plans 5 new space science satellites

NASA Chief: Congress Should Revise US-China Space Cooperation Law

Chine's satellite industry eyes global satellite market

CYBER WARS
Russian, US Astronauts to Return From ISS on June 18

Astronauts enter inflatable room at space station

First steps into BEAM will expand the frontiers of habitats for space

Russia delays launch of new crew to ISS until July 7

CYBER WARS
MUOS-5 satellite encapsulated for launch

Airbus Safran Launchers confirms the maturity of the Ariane 6 launcher

Launch Vehicle Ascent Trajectories and Sequencing

ILS Proton Launches Intelsat 31 Satellite

CYBER WARS
Cloudy Days on Exoplanets May Hide Atmospheric Water

Likely new planet may be in slow death spiral

On exoplanets, atmospheric water may be hiding behind clouds

Astronomers find giant planet around very young star

CYBER WARS
Thales unveils Ground Master 60 mobile radar

Can computers do magic?

Video game giant Ubisoft thinking young at age 30

New maths accurately captures liquids and surfaces moving in synergy









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.