Biometrics
GSA's Login to offer face recognition to customer agencies
Agencies using the government-created service will have the option to incorporate new face-matching capabilities or stick with existing offerings.
Exclusive
GSA's identity service on track to meet key standards, program director says
The director of Login.gov says that the federally managed identity service is on track to finally meet an important standard for digital identity verification.
TSA’s biometrics deployment will take 25 years, unless lawmakers end fee diversion, agency head tells Congress
The Transportation Security Administration chief told lawmakers that it will take until 2049 to deploy facial recognition technology at U.S. airports if significant revenue from the 9/11 security fee continues to be diverted away from the agency.
Senate passes FAA reauthorization without TSA biometrics amendment
A group of bipartisan senators hoped to use the must-pass measure to pause rollouts of the Transportation Security Administration’s facial recognition technology at new airports.
Lawmakers seek pause on TSA’s use of facial biometrics in FAA bill
A Senate amendment to the FAA reauthorization bill would pause additional rollout of the TSA’s facial recognition technology until Congress has reviewed the agency’s program.
Federal CIO defends Login security after health agency dropped it from grantee system
Clare Martorana doubled down on Login’s capabilities, saying the government “needs to continue to rely” on the tool.
Decoding distinctions in biometrics
Though some developers describe facial recognition and analysis as “completely different technologies,” privacy advocates argue they remain the same in the kinds of dangers they pose.
How TSA’s opt-outs for biometric screenings informed White House AI policy
The Office of Management and Budget’s recent guidance on the government’s responsible use of AI elevates TSA's practice of allowing travelers to decline biometric scans at airport security to national policy.
FTC rejects software companies’ bid to use facial recognition to verify user age
The Federal Trade Commission voted unanimously against approving a software verification tool that would use biometrics to meet requirements under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule.
TSA uses ‘minimum’ data to fine-tune its facial recognition, but some experts still worry
The Transportation Security Administration is planning to expand its facial recognition scanners to more than 400 airports, an agency official said.
Next digital identity testing at DHS to focus on ‘liveness’ detection
The department’s Science and Technology Directorate is taking applications from vendors that want to participate in testing technologies that claim to determine whether a submitted image is legitimate or a hacker’s spoof.
Government needs to regulate facial recognition tech, says National Academies
A facial recognition risk management framework, new legislation and more are among the recommendations in a new report requested by the FBI and DHS.
Featured eBooks
FTC bans Rite Aid from using AI facial recognition for 5 years
After investigating its business practices, the Federal Trade Commission alleges that the pharmacy chain did not sufficiently protect its consumers’ digital privacy.
Senators move to ban TSA’s facial recognition screenings
The bipartisan proposal cited concerns about the government’s collection of biometric data.
House Dems seek guardrails for law enforcement’s use of facial recognition
The bill would require agencies to obtain a warrant showing probable cause that an individual has committed “a serious violent felony” before facial recognition can be used.
Login.gov to add facial recognition tech
The General Services Administration is changing its digital identity service to allow users to authenticate themselves by matching against a previously submitted government ID.
DHS biometrics management dinged by watchdogs
“Hundreds of millions of individuals' personally identifiable information” is impacted by the privacy weaknesses, according to the Government Accountability Office.
DHS Unveils Departmentwide Body Camera Policy
The new guidance restricts law enforcement agencies under DHS’s authority from using body-worn cameras “for the sole purpose of recording individuals who are engaged in activity protected by the First Amendment.”
DHS wants software to manage biometrics system requirements
The department is asking for market research on new tools that can help it manage, define and engineer multiple systems requirements across its biometrics identity system.
Labor Dept. Watchdog Urges 'Extreme Caution' on Facial Recognition
Since the start of the pandemic and an upswing in fraudulent claims in the jobless aid systems, the use of facial recognition in identity checks has spread across states, raising OIG concerns about access and privacy.
