Winnipeg Police Headquarters will have 11 biometric hand scanners installed at entrances and exits to track which officers are in the building at any given time, the CBC reports. The addition of the scanners comes as a result of a $158,000 human resources upgrade approved by Winnipeg’s city council in 2018, and will be connected to…
The New York City Police Department’s fingerprint database was temporarily brought down by a virus last year from a contractor’s computer, according to the New York Post. The contractor — who was at the police academy in Queens to set up a digital display — unknowingly uploaded a virus to 23 machines connected to the…
A pair of senators from both sides of the political aisle have tabled a new bill that would place restrictions on the use of facial recognition technology by law enforcement agencies. The Facial Recognition Technology Warrant Act — sponsored by Christopher Coons (D-Del.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) — would require law enforcement agencies to obtain a warrant and…
The New York Police Department has finally finished deleting what was an illegal database of fingerprints obtained from juvenile offenders more than two years after being ordered to do so by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS). Calls to delete the database originated in 2014 after an arrest of a youth…
Indian privacy advocates are once again voicing their concerns as the government of India prepares to hand out a landmark contract for a national facial recognition surveillance system. The Prime Minister opened the bidding for the contract back in September, for a system that is supposed to help an understaffed police force identify criminals and…
Hong Kong police have access to facial recognition technology, but it isn’t clear if they have deployed it in their response to ongoing public protests, reports the South China Morning Post. Citing anonymous individuals who are familiar with the matter, the report says that Hong Kong’s police force has been contracting facial recognition technology from…
Detroit lawmakers are expressing concern about law enforcement’s use of facial recognition technology. City council member Roy McCalister, Jr. will be discussing the technology at an upcoming community forum, while US Representative Brenda Lawrence is planning to introduce legislation that would regulate the technology at the federal level. The Detroit Board of Police Commissioners formally…
Biometrics News – Fingerprint Recognition Two police forces in Wales have begun using INK Biometrics (Identity Not Known) in the field in a pilot project that will last three months before a review is conducted on its efficacy. South Wales Police and Gwent Police have deployed ten mobile devices to be shared between the two…
Law enforcement’s unmonitored use of facial recognition technology has come under increasing scrutiny in the past few months. Bernie Sanders has echoed San Francisco and called for a complete ban on the police use of the technology, while Microsoft recently stated that it will refuse to sell its facial recognition tech for mass surveillance. With…
“… at least one of the researchers involved in the project has highlighted its potential use for police in monitoring crowds…” Chinese researchers have developed a 500MP camera system able to capture detailed images of tens of thousands of faces in a single frame, according to a new report. The system was developed by researchers…
City officials in Detroit have come to a compromise on police use of facial recognition technology, with an oversight committee clearing it for criminal investigations but banning the technology’s use in live surveillance. Police in Detroit had first started using facial recognition software in 2017, with Detroit City Council having approved its purchase. But as…
“It’s worth noting that this latest state legislation is concerned specifically with the use of facial recognition technology through police-worn body cameras…” California’s State Assembly has approved a moratorium on the use of facial recognition technology through police body cameras. The legislation originated earlier this year as an outright ban, and was passed in the…
Sri Lanka police are planning to roll out a new face recognition surveillance system in an effort to track down wanted criminals. The system was discussed with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, and will be deployed alongside a database that contains information about subjects who have been ducking the authorities and avoiding capture. The criminal…
Police have now identified the three suspects involved in a brazen jewellery heist in New York that made headlines over the weekend, and the NYPD says it’s thanks to biometric technology. The heist occurred at Avianne & Co. Jewelers, where three men held up the employees at gunpoint, subdued them with zip ties and duct…
“Police use of facial recognition software is the latest example of Orwellian technology that violates our privacy and civil liberties under the guise of public safety and it must stop.” Bernie Sanders has made facial recognition an important component of his campaign platform, calling for a complete ban on the police use of the technology.…
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has announced that law enforcement officers will now need to undergo training in order to gain access to the state’s Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway (OHLEG), which includes the state’s facial recognition database. Until then, the AG is cutting off access to thousands of state officials, dropping the number of people…
“According to Javid, the new technology will help combat online child abuse and lower the amount of time that investigators need to spend looking at troubling images…” British Home Secretary Sajid Javid has voiced his support for ongoing police trials of facial recognition technology. His statements were made during the launch of new a £1.76…
Following a high-profile human rights complaint, the Police Service of Northern Ireland has committed to establishing and publishing a formal policy concerning its retention of biometric data from criminals. The case was brought forward by the country’s Human Rights Commission in support of a claim from an anonymous individual whose fingerprint and DNA data were…
“In addition to its biometric technology, the Smart Rear View Mirror platform also features the kind of 360-degree HD recording that 360fly is known for…” A partnership with action camera specialist 360fly is aimed at bringing EyeLock‘s biometric technology to police cars. The companies have collaborated on a new ‘Smart Rear View Mirror’ solution that…