US allegedly developing domestic biometric surveillance; opposition mounts

Reaction has been swift to news that elements of the U.S. government have been collaborating with academic researchers on biometric algorithms for use in nationwide surveillance.

According to a story in The Washington Post, officials in the FBI and Defense Department “were actively involved” in researching and developing techniques for identifying people from street cameras and flying drones.

The new claims come from documents about the Janus Program, which is related to the Biometric Recognition & Identification at Altitude and Range (BRIAR) program operated by the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA). It resulted in the development of an improved facial recognition system, according to the Post, which has now been folded into the FBI’s Horus search tool.

Liberal politicians in the U.S. Senate and House have proposed a national, indefinite moratorium on facial recognition surveillance in the United States by federal agencies along with funding penalties for state and local government to accomplish the same goal.

In a statement, Massachusetts Sen. and legislation sponsor Ed Markey says, “Biometric data collection poses serious risks of privacy invasion and discrimination.” American “should not have to forgo personal privacy for safety.”

The legislation, the Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act, was reintroduced March 7. (A previous iteration of the bill was introduced in June 2021.)

That was the same day that the Post wrote about the allegations that were revealed in a release of internal government documents as part of a civil liberties lawsuit against the FBI.

Surveillance and analysis of voice, gait and other biometric identifiers would be prohibited. The government could not use collected information protected by the legislation in a judicial proceeding.

And, importantly, the act would give people the right to sue in court over violations. Only an act of Congress could lift the moratorium.

“A federal moratorium on this technology is critical to ensure our communities are protected from inappropriate surveillance,” legislation co-sponsor Sen. Jeffrey Merkley said in a written statement.

Lawmakers reintroducing the moratorium include Sens. Markey, Merkley, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden. Joining them in the House were Reps. Jayapal, Pressley, Rashida Tlaib, Earl Blumenauer, Cori Bush, Greg Casar, Adriano Espaillat, Barbara Lee, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Jamaal Bowman and Jan Schakowsky. All of the above caucus with the Democratic party.

According to documents viewed by the Post, government officials reportedly were working closely with academic researchers, according to Freedom of Information Act releases forced by an ongoing lawsuit that the American Civil Liberties Union.

It is not the first time the federal government has used or proposed facial recognition for law enforcement, border control or crowd analysis.

In fact, many of the same names behind the recent act – including Sens. Markey and Merkley, as well as House Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Ayanna Presley – demanded that immigration police and the FBI end their 2020 and 2022 contracts, respectively, for face biometrics services by the controversial startup Clearview AI.

It is unclear if the agencies pulled out of their contracts.

Article Topics

biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  facial recognition  |  legislation  |  surveillance  |  U.S. Government