Marshals Service seeking information on “counter-biometric” services

The U.S. Justice Department’s Marshals Service has issued a request for information (RFI) from vendors on counter-biometric expertise to perform “biometrics due diligence and to catalog the biometric threat environment,” according to a contract opportunity announcement.

Responders are requested with the capability to monitor various kinds of trends in biometrics, and apply that information to risk assessment. This will require a high enough degree of knowledge of existing and current biometric capabilities and countermeasures to identify workaround and mitigation strategies for real-world risks. Experience testing and evaluating biometric devices, in developing and testing Presentation Attacks against fingerprint, face, iris recognition systems and a complete understanding of Presentation Attack Detection (PAD) is required. The contractor will also be asked to build a training program for biometrics and identity.

Applicants are asked to describe their business capabilities and approach, provide information on prior services, and experience with counter-biometrics. The responses to the RFI will inform the department’s small business strategy, though limits to subcontracting would apply.

The Marshals Service provides court security, protects witnesses, apprehends fugitives, ensures prisoners are secure and humanely treated, produces prisoners for court appearances, and executes court orders related to asset seizures. There are 400 Marshals offices across the U.S.

Responses are due by February 18, 2020.

The Justice Department recently increased its DNA collection of detained immigrants, and the ACLU has been seeking more information on the department’s biometrics use since early 2019.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  law enforcement  |  research and development  |  RFI  |  United States