FBI to launch nationwide facial recognition service

[Freddie Stubbs]

Source: NextGov

The FBI by mid-January will activate a nationwide facial recognition service in select states that will allow local police to identify unknown subjects in photos, bureau officials told Nextgov.

The federal government is embarking on a multiyear, $1 billion dollar overhaul of the FBI's existing fingerprint database to more quickly and accurately identify suspects, partly through applying other biometric markers, such as iris scans and voice recordings.

Often law enforcement authorities will "have a photo of a person and for whatever reason they just don't know who it is this is clearly the missing link to our case," said Nick Megna, a unit chief at the FBI's criminal justice information services division. The new facial recognition service can help provide that missing link by retrieving a list of mug shots ranked in order of similarity to the features of the subject in the photo.

Today, an agent would have to already know the name of an individual to pull up the suspect's mug shot from among the 10 million shots stored in the bureau's existing Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System. Using the new Next-Generation Identification system that is under development, law enforcement analysts will be able to upload a photo of an unknown person; choose a desired number of results from two to 50 mug shots; and, within 15 minutes, receive identified mugs to inspect for potential matches. Users typically will request 20 candidates, Megna said. The service does not provide a direct match.

Read more: http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20111007_6100.php?oref=rss

[Kurovski]

1. I'm thinking "Facebook". (nt)

[izquierdista]

2. Time to shave my ass and walk backwards

Let them identify me from the pimples on my bum.

[DCKit]

3. You'll be identified as "Generic Republican".

They're gonna get a lot more than fifty hits on that one.

[cyberpj]

11. LOL! nt

[David Sky]

21. Best laugh of my morning! n/t

[marasinghe]

17. probably at an airport toilet near you - already; perhaps aircraft toilets too.

i guess it is official now; the human race has jumped the shark.
and thank the Tao for that.

[waddirum]

26. Harry... is that you?

Your looking better all the time.

[leveymg]

4. We've all be profiled with Biodata Identifiers, social relationship matrixes, Terrorism Potential

Quotients, locations charted over time along with our political radicalism profiles, Google search histories, our sexual tendencies and preferences (any perversities noted for later use against us), and even our dietary and dental charts are probably better known to the Feds than to our own mothers.

Welcome to Total Information Dominance Nation. Tag and Release.

[Downwinder]

5. The answer to Face Blindness (Prosopagnosia).

Can I get Medicare to buy me one?

Has to be portable.

Put it on a smart phone.

[Speck Tater]

6. Since law enforcement frowns on wearing masks in public...

Maybe heavy makeup for both men and is the next logical step to protect ones identity in public. Outlines around eyes and mouth that alter the visual shape and trip up the feature recognition software might just be the ticket.

[Hama]

8. Fool the cameras

Most CCTV cameras are able to see into the infrared range. If you wear some bright infrared LEDs on a hat or on a hoodie around your face the cameras will just pick up a bright white spot. And since we can't see infrared you will not look too inconspicuous.

[AtheistCrusader]

14. Generally only works when the camera is in night/infrared mode.

Daylight, in color, you'll probably just stick out like a sore thumb.

[valerief]

10. Fancy hats with thick, netted veils. Protection AND groovy. nt

[No Elephants]

19. Smokey eyes for everyone!

Okay, I admit it. I watch way too much Jerseylicious.

[msongs]

7. Obama administration declares war on all US citizens, will he kill us with drones next? nt

[Muskypundit]

12. Yes. Your next. You should turn yourself in to the nearest police station so Obama can send you

To a work camp. It's a lot better than not and having Obama personally show up to your house and rape you to death. Because he hates u.s citizens. Sometimes here it is hard to tell freepers from not.....

[No Elephants]

20. Liberals heartily agree with your last comment, but probably their reasons are different.

[Muskypundit]

27. I am a liberal. I am critical of the president.

But to suggest he hates us is..... Ridiculous.

[valerief]

9. Bring. Back. Veils!!!! nt

[plumbob]

13. Actually, when I renewed my license at the DMV, they told me not to

smile, because it has a deleterious effect on facial recognition technology.

We're there.

[No Elephants]

22. Person who took my passport photo said "they" didn't like it if I smiled, so I didn't.

crap. Wish I had known.

The DMV let me smile, though.

[alp227]

15. and HOW will this help catch criminals?

expect the law enforcement to be frustrated with all sorts of false matches instead. Thanks a lot, George W. Bush and the PATRIOT Act and everyone in Congress who rushed to pass it in the week after 9/11 WITHOUT READING IT!!!! And everyone in Congress who blindly renews it when every sunset provision comes up.

[GeorgeGist]

16. The service does not provide a direct match.

oooh, that should be fun.

[drdtroit]

18. Can it detect how deep the mental illness is within the FBI ?

[No Elephants]

23. What about Muslim women who "cover?"

[BadgerKid]

24. Now add geolocation by cell phone

and you can be found and followed.

[IDemo]

25. It only makes sense that drivers license photos will be included next

And that the system will be hacked very shortly afterward.