Swordsmyth
12-21-2017, 07:30 PM
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) doesn't have a great track record with its own technology. DHS staff have been locked out (https://www.engadget.com/2017/02/21/homeland-security-staff-locked-out-of-networks/) of their own networks, first responder apps have been plagued by security issues (https://www.engadget.com/2017/12/18/dhs-finds-first-responder-apps-are-plagued-by-security-issues/) and the federal employees were able to steal data (https://www.engadget.com/2017/11/29/employees-stole-data-homeland-security/) from the agency. Now a new report (https://www.airportfacescans.com/) calls DHS's pilot facial recognition program into question, too, saying that it makes frequent errors and may even not be legal.
The report, authored by three lawyers at the Center on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown Law (https://www.law.georgetown.edu/academics/centers-institutes/privacy-technology/), says that the pilot is currently at nine US airports to scan the faces of travelers leaving the country. The face scans are then compared to DHS's biometric database to their identity, ostensibly to prevent anyone from being impersonated. According to the report, the system could cost up to one billion dollars, though it also states that Congress nor DHS have not justified the need for such a program. In fact, the authors say that the DHS itself has questioned the value such a "biometric air exit" system would actually provide for the cost.
More at: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/dhs-apos-facial-scanning-program-225000984.html
The report, authored by three lawyers at the Center on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown Law (https://www.law.georgetown.edu/academics/centers-institutes/privacy-technology/), says that the pilot is currently at nine US airports to scan the faces of travelers leaving the country. The face scans are then compared to DHS's biometric database to their identity, ostensibly to prevent anyone from being impersonated. According to the report, the system could cost up to one billion dollars, though it also states that Congress nor DHS have not justified the need for such a program. In fact, the authors say that the DHS itself has questioned the value such a "biometric air exit" system would actually provide for the cost.
More at: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/dhs-apos-facial-scanning-program-225000984.html