Biometrics
Diversion of Security Fee funds from TSA harms screening tech adoption, report warns
One-third of the September 11 Security Fee meant to fund the TSA is being redirected to help reduce the national debt.
DHS watchdog investigating TSA’s use of facial recognition
The review comes after a bipartisan group of senators previously called for the watchdog to look into TSA’s use of biometric tools “from both an authorities and privacy perspective.”
TSA’s facial recognition tech is highly accurate, review says
A DHS analysis found that self-identified Black volunteers who participated in testing of TSA’s biometric tools had the lowest face matching success rate of any demographic group, with an overall accuracy of 98%.
Lawmakers call for a review of TSA’s biometric and AI use
Members of the House Homeland Security Committee are asking GAO to investigate the benefits and potential harms of TSA’s usage of artificial intelligence and biometrics.
Senators call for watchdog to investigate TSA’s use of facial recognition
In a letter to the Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General, 12 senators warned that the deployment of facial biometrics at every U.S. airport could create “one of the largest federal surveillance databases overnight without authorization from Congress.”
Hill Dems question IRS on identity verification requirements for Direct File
Taxpayers had to go through outsourced identity verification to use Direct File during the last tax season, a level of assurance the lawmakers note is not required for commercial tax prep companies.
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.
Featured eBooks
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.
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.
