Apple is once again at the centre of a privacy debate over requests for the tech giant to unlock the iPhones of the shooter in a recent tragedy at a naval air base in Pensacola, Florida. The situation Apple finds itself in is similar to the one in the aftermath of the 2015 San Berbardino…
Fans of the Cardiff City football club in Wales protested the use of facial recognition technology ahead of a recent game against Swansea City. The South Wales police had deployed two surveillance vans in the area around Cardiff City’s stadium, arguing that the vans would help catch perpetrators wanted for football-related crimes. The Cardiff City…
Comparitech has released a comprehensive report that evaluates the pervasiveness of biometric technology in 50 different countries. The report rated the countries based on their use (or non-use) of various technologies, as well as the legal protections those countries put in place to protect the privacy of their citizens. Each country was assigned a numerical…
US Customs and Border Protection plans to further extend biometric screening to US citizens. The border agency has published a request for a rule change that would make this practice mandatory not only for foreign nationals but for Americans as well, as part of a larger biometric entry-exit system. Such biometric screening will most likely…
A multi-city teahouse chain in India is coming under fire for its use of facial recognition to identify customers. Ostensibly, the face scanning technology is used only in Chaayos’ loyalty program, enabling the teahouse chain to link enrolled customers’ payment accounts to their faces. But one unhappy customer – and editor of what the BBC…
As another big year in the biometrics industry reaches its conclusion, it’s time once again to reflect on the state of the art through FindBiometrics’ Year in Review survey. Now in its 17th year, the Year in Review survey is the biggest of its kind in the biometrics industry. Thanks to FindBiometrics’ unique readership of…
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…
Of all the biometric modalities, facial recognition has become one of the most widely used and discussed in recent years. That’s why November is Face Biometrics Month at FindBiometrics, in which we’ll be delivering in-depth articles and other special features dedicated to this technology. It’s a broad category though, with facial recognition deployed across a…
In what many domestic news outlets are describing as a first, a Chinese citizen is suing a theme park over its use of biometric technology on attendees. The park in question is a safari park in Hangzhou, which previously linked park passes to the fingerprints of pass holders, but recently moved to a new system…
Biometrics News – Facial Recognition Tom Morello and Evan Greer have penned an incendiary op-ed for Buzzfeed to encourage the public to mobilize against the ongoing rollout of facial recognition. The article specifically references the recent (and successful) efforts to prevent the deployment of facial recognition tech at large music festivals, suggesting that it could…
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…
A large coalition of organizations and trade associations has asked Congress to reconsider public bans on facial recognition technology. The group sent a letter to leading Democrat and Republican lawmakers, encouraging them to establish clear federal guidelines in collaboration with industry representatives. According to the Security Identity Association (SIA), the letter is part of a…
The United States ranks just as poorly as the worst European Union members when it comes to privacy laws and government surveillance, according to a new analysis from Comparitech. Conducted by privacy advocate and tech journalist Paul Bischoff, the analysis scores various countries out of five, with 4.1-5 indicating that a country ‘upholds privacy standards…
China’s extensive biometric surveillance apparatus is poised to expand even further through the efforts of a major cell tower company: China Tower has established a new subsidiary called Smart Tower that is aimed at offering video surveillance services. As Light Reading reports, China Tower is jointly owned by China’s three major telecoms, and has 1.9…
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…
Vimeo is the latest tech company to get hit with a BIPA lawsuit in Illinois. The lawsuit specifically concerns the video editing app Magisto, which Vimeo acquired earlier this year. Filed in Cook County by Bradley Acaley, the lawsuit alleges that Magisto does not obtain sufficient consent for its use of facial recognition data. The…
“… 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…
India is moving forward with plans to set up a massive facial recognition surveillance scheme. The proposed system would centralize biometric data from multiple national databases, and would gather new data through a network of facial recognition cameras that would be set up throughout the country. Officials are hoping that the new system will help…
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…