MorphoTrust USA publishes infographic to shed light on facial recognition for law enforcement

MorphoTrust USA has just published a new infographic outlining how facial recognition technology helps law enforcement agencies bring criminals to justice, following questions that arose about facial recognition and its use in identifying suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing.

As soon as the story of the marathon bombings broke,  BiometricUpdate published a feature which explored the use of facial recognition to identify the Boston bombers and discussed the technology’s benefits and limitations in identifying a suspect.

In an attempt to answer some of the pressing questions many people have had about the role facial recognition played in this investigation, MorphoTrust USA released its infographic (below) to shed light on how and when the technology works best, as well as how it’s progressed over the years.

According to the company, MorphoTrust’s biometric technology is used by the U.S. Department of Defense, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Transportation Security Administration, as well as by state motor vehicle agencies and local law enforcement agencies.

“Facial recognition is a powerful tool in the right circumstances and it continues to advance in its ability to support law enforcement investigations,” Bob Eckel, CEO of MorphoTrust said. “MorphoTrust continues to receive inquiries about how facial recognition works and how it is utilized to solve crimes. This infographic visually depicts the process, from the moment an image of an anonymous suspect is recorded to the point of discovering their true identity, and it helps readers understand the facial recognition skills of both people and computers.  Often, facial recognition is most successful when the distinct abilities of both people and computers are combined to positively identify a suspect.”

“In addition to questions about the application of facial recognition technology to identify suspects, people want to know about the privacy and security implications of biometrics, which can include iris, fingerprints and face, among others,” Eckel said. “The reality is that biometrics can strengthen privacy and security, as it is the only sure way to establish identity, making it extremely difficult for a criminal to fraudulently assume and abuse someone else’s identity.”

Reported previously in BiometricUpdate.com, IMS Research has projected that worldwide revenue for the video-surveillance market will reach $US20.5 billion in 2016, up 114 percent from US$9.6 billion in 2012, though the firm believes this figure could rise even further, taking into account recent events like the Boston bombing.

Also, According to a recent CNN/Time/Orc poll, 79% of Americans are in favor of using facial recognition at various locations and public events, and 81% support expanded camera surveillance on streets and in public places.

Article Topics

facial recognition  |  MorphoTrust USA