Emerging Tech

TSA’s biometrics deployment will take 25 years, unless lawmakers end fee diversion, agency head tells Congress

The Transportation Security Administration chief told lawmakers that it will take until 2049 to deploy facial recognition technology at U.S. airports if significant revenue from the 9/11 security fee continues to be diverted away from the agency.

Emerging Tech

Senate passes FAA reauthorization without TSA biometrics amendment

A group of bipartisan senators hoped to use the must-pass measure to pause rollouts of the Transportation Security Administration’s facial recognition technology at new airports.

Emerging Tech

Lawmakers seek pause on TSA’s use of facial biometrics in FAA bill

A Senate amendment to the FAA reauthorization bill would pause additional rollout of the TSA’s facial recognition technology until Congress has reviewed the agency’s program.

Digital Government

Federal CIO defends Login security after health agency dropped it from grantee system

Clare Martorana doubled down on Login’s capabilities, saying the government “needs to continue to rely” on the tool.

Emerging Tech

Decoding distinctions in biometrics

Though some developers describe facial recognition and analysis as “completely different technologies,” privacy advocates argue they remain the same in the kinds of dangers they pose.

Emerging Tech

How TSA’s opt-outs for biometric screenings informed White House AI policy

The Office of Management and Budget’s recent guidance on the government’s responsible use of AI elevates TSA's practice of allowing travelers to decline biometric scans at airport security to national policy.

Emerging Tech

FTC rejects software companies’ bid to use facial recognition to verify user age

The Federal Trade Commission voted unanimously against approving a software verification tool that would use biometrics to meet requirements under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule.

Emerging Tech

TSA uses ‘minimum’ data to fine-tune its facial recognition, but some experts still worry

The Transportation Security Administration is planning to expand its facial recognition scanners to more than 400 airports, an agency official said.

Emerging Tech

Next digital identity testing at DHS to focus on ‘liveness’ detection

The department’s Science and Technology Directorate is taking applications from vendors that want to participate in testing technologies that claim to determine whether a submitted image is legitimate or a hacker’s spoof.

Emerging Tech

Government needs to regulate facial recognition tech, says National Academies

A facial recognition risk management framework, new legislation and more are among the recommendations in a new report requested by the FBI and DHS.

Artificial Intelligence

FTC bans Rite Aid from using AI facial recognition for 5 years

After investigating its business practices, the Federal Trade Commission alleges that the pharmacy chain did not sufficiently protect its consumers’ digital privacy.

Emerging Tech

Senators move to ban TSA’s facial recognition screenings

The bipartisan proposal cited concerns about the government’s collection of biometric data.

Emerging Tech

House Dems seek guardrails for law enforcement’s use of facial recognition

The bill would require agencies to obtain a warrant showing probable cause that an individual has committed “a serious violent felony” before facial recognition can be used.

Digital Government

Login.gov to add facial recognition tech

The General Services Administration is changing its digital identity service to allow users to authenticate themselves by matching against a previously submitted government ID.

Digital Government

DHS biometrics management dinged by watchdogs

“Hundreds of millions of individuals' personally identifiable information” is impacted by the privacy weaknesses, according to the Government Accountability Office.

Policy

DHS Unveils Departmentwide Body Camera Policy

The new guidance restricts law enforcement agencies under DHS’s authority from using body-worn cameras “for the sole purpose of recording individuals who are engaged in activity protected by the First Amendment.”

Acquisition

DHS wants software to manage biometrics system requirements

The department is asking for market research on new tools that can help it manage, define and engineer multiple systems requirements across its biometrics identity system.

Emerging Tech

Labor Dept. Watchdog Urges 'Extreme Caution' on Facial Recognition

Since the start of the pandemic and an upswing in fraudulent claims in the jobless aid systems, the use of facial recognition in identity checks has spread across states, raising OIG concerns about access and privacy.

Modernization

IRS Plans to Approve Use of Login-dot-gov as Tax Day Nears

The tax agency intends to add Login this filing season—and as early as next week—as the integration is in final rounds of testing.