• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Our Services
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • Top Nav Social Icons

FindBiometrics

FindBiometrics

Global Identity Management

  • Biometrics
    • What are Biometrics?
    • FAQ
    • Biometric Associations
    • Companies
    • Premier Partners
  • News
    • Featured Articles
    • Interviews
    • Thought Leadership
    • Podcasts
    • Webinars
    • Year in Review
  • Applications
    • Biometric Security
    • Border Control and Airport Biometrics
    • Consumer and Residential Biometrics
    • Financial Biometrics
    • Fingerprint & Biometric Locks
    • Healthcare Biometrics
    • Justice and Law Enforcement Biometrics
    • Logical Access Control Biometrics
    • Mobile Biometrics
    • Other Biometric Applications
    • Physical Access Control Biometrics
    • Biometric Time and Attendance
  • Solutions
    • Behavioral Biometrics
    • Biometric Sensors and Detectors
    • Facial Recognition
    • Biometric Fingerprint Readers
    • Hand Readers & Finger Scanners
    • Iris Recognition
    • Biometric Middleware and Software
    • Multimodal Biometrics
    • Physiological Biometrics
    • Smart Cards
    • Vein Recognition
    • Voice and Speech Recognition
  • Stocks
  • Events
  • Companies
  • Podcasts

DHS Worried About Face Masks Thwarting Biometric Facial Recognition: Leaked Docs

July 20, 2020

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is complaining that COVID-19 is limiting the utility of its surveillance apparatus. The agency takes particular issue with the widespread use of masks to slow the spread of the pandemic, which have made it more difficult to use facial recognition software to identify members of the public.

Biometrics News - DHS Worried About Face Masks Thwarting Biometric Facial Recognition: Leaked Docs

“We assess face recognition systems used to support security operations in public spaces will be less effective while widespread public use of facemasks, including partial and full face covering, is practiced by the public to limit the spread of Covid-19,” wrote the agency in a bulletin that was sent on May 22. The bulletin would later be included in a batch of government documents that was obtained and released by BlueLeaks.

Of course, the concern about masks is at odds with public health advice during the pandemic. The bulletin itself also seems to engage in a bit of fearmongering, warning recipients that violent extremists could use the masks as cover to carry out large-scale attacks.

However, the bulletin does not have any specific intelligence about such an attack. The Minnesota Fusion Center nevertheless distributed it to law enforcement agencies and government officials on May 26, seemingly in response to the nationwide protests that erupted in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd. The bulletin ultimately comes from the DHS Intelligence Enterprise Counterterrorism Mission Center, with input from Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and several other agencies.

While several technology providers have updated their facial recognition algorithms to identify people who are wearing masks, privacy advocates warn that those systems still haven’t been proven in the field. Most systems are less accurate when asked to recognize someone in a mask, and false positives are much more likely with untested technology.  

“It would be best to have lots of real life examples showing the many ways people wear masks and the different angles they get captured,” explained IPVM analyst Charles Rollet. He later noted that false positives can lead to wrongful arrests if law enforcement tries to act on them.

Since the protests started, major technology companies like Microsoft and IBM have announced that they won’t sell facial recognition technology to law enforcement agencies. DHS, meanwhile, is worried that health-conscious citizens will continue to wear masks once the pandemic has subsided.

Source: The Intercept

–

July 20, 2020 – by Eric Weiss

Related News

  • SMi Group Brings DHS Speakers to Virtual Border Security ConferenceSMi Group Brings DHS Speakers to Virtual Border Security Conference
  • Federal Law Enforcement Keeps Signing New Facial Recognition ContractsFederal Law Enforcement Keeps Signing New Facial Recognition Contracts
  • Malaysian Government Aims to Launch Biometric ID System in 2022Malaysian Government Aims to Launch Biometric ID System in 2022
  • Australian States Trial Biometric Quarantine Enforcement SystemAustralian States Trial Biometric Quarantine Enforcement System
  • NtechLab Brings Controversial Facial Recognition System to Middle EastNtechLab Brings Controversial Facial Recognition System to Middle East
  • DHS Testing Shows Improved Biometric Performance on Masked FacesDHS Testing Shows Improved Biometric Performance on Masked Faces

Filed Under: Features, News Tagged With: Biometric, biometric surveillance, biometrics, COVID-19, Department of Homeland Security, DHS, face biometrics, face masks, facial recognition, government biometrics, law enforcement biometrics

Primary Sidebar

Identity is Shaping Air Travel – Time to Invest

Sponsored Links

facetec logo

FaceTec’s patented, industry-leading 3D Face Authentication software anchors digital identity, creating a chain of trust from user onboarding to ongoing authentication on all modern smart devices and webcams. FaceTec’s 3D FaceMaps™ make trusted, remote identity verification finally possible. As the only technology backed by a persistent spoof bounty program and NIST/iBeta Certified Liveness Detection, FaceTec is the global standard for Liveness and 3D Face Matching with millions of users on six continents in financial services, border security, transportation, blockchain, e-voting, social networks, online dating and more. www.facetec.com

TECH5 logo

TECH5 is an international technology company founded by experts from the biometrics industry, which focuses on developing disruptive biometric and digital ID solutions through the application of AI and Machine Learning technologies.

TECH5 target markets include both Government and Private sectors with products powering Civil ID, Digital ID, as well as authentication solutions that deliver identity assurance for various use cases. 

Learn more: www.tech5.ai

Mobile ID World Logo

Mobile ID World is here to bring you the latest in mobile authentication solutions and application providers. Our company is dedicated to providing users with the best content and cutting edge information on technology, news, and mobile solutions for your mobile identity management needs.

Recent Posts

  • Who Are Moscow’s Surveillance Tech Vendors?—Identity News Digest
  • Innovatrics Launches New Face SDK, Upgrades ABIS Enrolment
  • Biometric Identity and Access Prism by Acuity Market Intelligence and FindBiometrics
  • Biometric Identity and Access Prism Preview
  • BIPA, Biometrics, and a Couple of Tech Giants: Identity News Digest

Biometric Associations

IBIA and fido

Tweets

Footer

  • About Us
  • Company Directory
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Archives
  • CCPA: Do not sell my personal info.

Follow Us

Copyright © 2023 FindBiometrics