Face Recognition

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Latest News/Events

• International Police Organization Proposes Worldwide Facial Recognition System. Interpol, the Europe-based international law enforcement group, has proposed an automated face-recognition system for international borders. Such a system could require travelers to undergo face scans, and make the information available to numerous countries. An Interpol face-recognition database would permit Interpol member nations to search records containing travelers’ personal biometric information, and could be used in conjunction with travel watch lists. The inaccuracy of facial recognition technology has repeatedly been criticized. Privacy watchdogs have questioned the efficacy and wisdom of government programs that collect ever-more personal information at border crossings. "We need to get our data to the border entry points. There will be such a large role in the future for fingerprints and facial recognition," said Mark Branchflower, head of Interpol's fingerprint unit. (Oct. 20, 2008)
  
  
• Companies Use Surveillance Cameras for Advertising Studies. Surveillance cameras have long been used as anti-crime devices. However, companies are now seeking to use surveillance cameras to watch people for advertising research. In Germany, developers are placing video cameras into street advertisements and attempting to discern people's emotional reactions to the ads. Dutch researchers are using experimental emotion-recognition software to test individuals' reactions to advertisements and marketing. (July 10, 2007)
  
  
• Federal Air Marshals to Surreptitiously Photograph Travelers. The US Department of Homeland Security is investing in face recognition technology so that federal marshals can surreptitiously photograph people in airports, bus and train stations, and elsewhere to check whether they are in terrorist databases. The Los Angeles police department already is using handheld facial recognition devices. See EPIC's Video Surveillance page. (May 10, 2007)
  
  
• British Police Look to Build National Mugshot Database. The Police Information Technology Organisation aims to create a national database of still and video facial images, tattoos, and other imagery linked to criminal biographical information. They are also looking into how they can incorporate facial recognition software into the mugshot database for the police forces of England, Scotland, and Wales. (Jan. 16, 2006)

History

Facial recognition systems are computer-based security systems that are able to automatically detect and identify human faces. These systems depend on a recognition algorithm, such as eigenface or the hidden Markov model. The first step for a facial recognition system is to recognize a human face and extract it fro the rest of the scene. Next, the system measures nodal points on the face, such as the distance between the eyes, the shape of the cheekbones and other distinguishable features. These nodal points are then compared to the nodal points computed from a database of pictures in order to find a match. Obviously, such a system is limited based on the angle of the face captured and the lighting conditions present. New technologies are currently in development to create three-dimensional models of a person's face based on a digital photograph in order to create more nodal points for comparison. However, such technology is inherently susceptible to error given that the computer is extrapolating a three-dimensional model from a two-dimensional photograph.

Throughout the nation and the world, the debate on the privacy implications of face recognition and other surveillance technologies is heating up. In January 2001, the city of Tampa, Florida used the technology to scan the faces of people in crowds at the Super Bowl, comparing them with images in a database of digital mug shots. Privacy International subsequently gave the 2001 Big Brother Award for "Worst Public Official" to the City of Tampa for spying on Super Bowl attendees. Tampa then installed cameras equipped with face recognition technology in their Ybor City nightlife district, where they have encountered opposition from people wearing masks and making obscene gestures at the cameras. In late August 2001, a member of the Jacksonville, Florida City Council proposed legislation to keep the technology out of Jacksonville.

The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services gave a $150,000 grant to the city of Virginia Beach in July 2001, to help the city obtain face recognition cameras to look for criminal suspects and missing children. Although officials had initially expressed mixed feelings about the technology, the city council voted on November 13 to install the software at the oceanfront. To fully fund the system, the city must pay an additional $50,000.

In the wake of the September 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S., privacy advocates, citizen groups, political leaders, and the manufacturers of the technology itself are debating whether these technologies should be more widely used, and if so, how they should be regulated to protect the privacy of the public. Some airports are considering installing face recognition cameras as a security measure. However, T.F. Green International Airport in Providence, Rhode Island, one of the first airports to consider it, decided in January 2002 that they would not install it after all, citing the possibility of false matches and other technological shortcomings of facial recognition systems.

Subsequently, in August of 2003, the Tampa Police Department scrapped Ybor City's facial-recognition system, citing the system's ineffectiveness as bearing heavily on their decision. Virginia Beach's system is still in place, however, it has never produced a match or arrest since its installation in 2002. Boston's Logan Airport ran two separate facial recognition system tests at its security checkpoints using volunteers posing as terrorists over a three-month period and posted disappointing results. Throughout the testing period, the systems correctly identified the volunteers 153 times and failed to identify the volunteers 96 times. As a result of the lackluster success rate of only 61.4 percent, the airport decided to explore other technologies for securing its checkpoints

Recently, the focus on facial recognition systems has shifted to its use as a way to secure borders. The United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) program requires visitors of the United States to provide fingerprints and a digital photograph at their port of entry. US-VISIT then interfaces with the Automated Biometric Identification System (IDENT) database to check and see if the visitor is a "person of interest." Similarly, the Real ID Act of 2005 would include an integrated computer chip in every driver's license issued after May 2008 that contains a digital photograph, which could be used for facial recognition purposes.

News Items

• U.K. cops look into face-recognition tech. ZDNet News, January 17, 2006.
• Police build national mugshot database. Silicon.com, January 16, 2006.
• Gov't to use biometrics to better security. Miami Herald, January 5, 2006.
• Mexico hires biometrics companies to beef up prison security. Associated Press, January 4, 2006.
• U.S.Visit biometrics up and running, on time. Washington Technology, December 30, 2005.
• Home secretary sets out business case for ID cards. VNUNet, November 23, 2005.
• Smiling Germans ruin biometric passport system. VNUNet, November 10, 2005.
• ID cards plans begin Lords test. BBC News, October 31, 2005.
• ID card plans face delay over technology, ministers warned. The Independent, October 31, 2005.
• Federal rules adopted for electronic U.S. passports. ComputerWorld, October 27, 2005.
• Chief scientist to put ID biometrics under the microscope. Telegraph, October 26, 2005.
• Ogden City, Utah, Police Select Facial Recognition and Digital Sketching Technology. Government Technology News, October 25, 2005.
• Full biometric ID scheme to reach the UK 'by 2009'. ZDNet News, October 20, 2005.
• Pakistan deploys facial recognition to battle ID fraud. IT News, August 31, 2005.
• MTA's trailblazing security plans. Newsday, August 28, 2005.
• Face recognition emerging as viable tool for verifying ID. Federal Computer Week, April 11, 2005.
• U.S. Pushes For Advances In Facial Recognition. InformationWeek, March 14, 2005.
• Mobile phones get facial recognition. CNet News, March 1, 2005.
• Passport ID technology has high error rate. The Washington Post, August 6, 2004.
• Technology strains to find menace in the crowd. The New York Times, May 31, 2004.
• Anti-terror face recognition system flunks tests. The Register, September 3, 2003.
• Airport anti-terror systems flub tests. USA Today, September 2, 2003.
• Tampa drops face-recognition system. CNET, August 21, 2003.
• Reliability of face scan technology in dispute. Boston Globe, August 5, 2002.
• 'Face testing' at Logan is found lacking. Boston Globe, July 17, 2002.
• Virginia Beach Installs Face-Recognition Cameras. Washington Post, July 3, 2002.
• Visionics Press Release: Enhanced Security Measures to Protect NYC Landmarks Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty Include Visionics' Facial Recognition System. May 23, 2002.
• Police Set Policy on Photos, Taping. Boston Herald (AP), May 19, 2002.
• ACLU Press Release: Data on Face-Recognition Test at Palm Beach Airport Further Demonstrates Systems' Fatal Flaws. May 14, 2002.
• Security Cams Not OK In Canada? Wired News, April 16, 2002.
• The Business of the Watchers: Privacy Protections Recede as the Purveyors of Digital Security Technologies Capitalize on September 11. Multinational Monitor, Mar. 2002.
• 'Spy' cameras vs villains in Britain. United Press International (UPI), Mar. 8, 2002.
• Restraints Shelved on Facial-Recognition. Washington Times, Mar. 5, 2002.
• Viisage press release: Second U.S. State Adopts Viisage Face Recognition Technology to Secure Driver License Database. Feb. 28, 2002.
• Police Shut Off 12 City Cameras. Washington Times, Feb. 26, 2002.
• At DFW, the Eyes of Texas Are Upon You. The Austin Review, Feb. 22, 2002.
• Up Close and Personal. Mother Jones Magazine, Jan/Feb 2002.
• Identix, Visionics Double Up. CNN / Money Magazine, Feb. 22, 2002.
• The Great Unwatched. Op-Ed, New York Times, Feb. 18, 2002.
• In D.C., Tuning In to the Streets. Washington Post, Feb. 15, 2002.
• Camera Eye is Focus of Fear. Kelowna Capital News, Feb. 6, 2002.
• Viisage press release: St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport Deploys Viisage Technology Face-Recognition Security. Jan. 22, 2002.
• Big Brother Finds Ally in Once-Wary High Tech. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 19, 2002.
• Airport chief reconsiders recognition technology for Green. Providence Journal, Jan. 17, 2002.
• New Side to Face-Recognition Technology: Identifying Victims. New York Times, Jan. 15, 2002.
• ACLU press release: Drawing a blank: Tampa police records reveal poor performance of face-recognition technology: Tampa officials have suspended use of the system. Jan. 3, 2002.
• U.S. to use photo database to confirm ID of foreign visitors. Los Angeles Times, Jan. 2, 2002.
• Routes of Least Surveillance. Wired News, Nov. 28, 2001.
• Keeping a Who's-Naughty List. Wired News, Nov. 27, 2001.
• ACLU Challenges Face-Scanning at California Airport. Yahoo! News (Reuters), Nov. 20, 2001.
• ACLU Calls on Fresno Airport to Remove Controversial Facial Recognition Technology. Nov.20, 2001.
• Facial Recognition Technology Approved at Va. Beach. 13News (wvec.com), Nov. 13, 2001.
• ACLU: Face-Recognition Systems Won't Work. ZDNet, Nov. 2, 2001.
• ACLU Warns of Face Recognition Pitfalls. Newsbytes, Nov. 2, 2001.
• ACLU Says Facial Recognition Systems Planned for Airports are Ineffective. New Jersey Online (AP), Nov. 2, 2001.
• Can Face Recognition Keep Airports Safe? CNet, Nov. 1, 2001.
• Face Recognition is Invasive, Doesn't Work - Critics. Yahoo! News (Reuters), Nov. 1, 2001.
• ACLU Opposes Use of Face Recognition Software in Airports Due to Ineffectiveness and Privacy Concerns. Nov. 1, 2001.
• Airport to Get Facial Recognition Technology. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 29, 2001.
• Boston Airport to Test Face Recognition System. CNN.com, Oct. 26, 2001.
• Pentagon Makes Rush Order for Anti-Terror Technology. Washington Post, Oct. 26, 2001.
• Logan Will Test Face-Data Security. Boston Globe, Oct. 25, 2001.
• Imagis Technologies and Oakland (Calif.) Police Department Extend Biometric Facial Recognition Technology to Oakland International Airport. Yahoo! Finance, Oct. 17, 2001.
• New Face of Security Troubling to Advocates of Privacy. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 17, 2001.
• A Cautionary Tale for a New Age of Surveillance. New York Times Magazine, Oct. 7, 2001.
• Viisage Selected to Deploy the First Face-Recognition Technology System for Security in a U.S. Airport. Yahoo! Business Wire, Oct. 4, 2001.
• Privacy Commissioner of British Columbia Declares Video Surveillance Unlawful in downtown Kelowna (PDF). News Release, Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of British Columbia, Oct. 4, 2001.
• Visionics Corporation Announces Framework for Protecting Civilization from the Faces of Terror. Yahoo! Business Wire, Sept. 24, 2001.
• Facial Recognition System Considered for U.S. Airports. Washington Post, Sept. 23, 2001.
• Watching You: What Security Technology Can – and Cannot – Do About Terrorism. The Economist, Sept. 20, 2001.
• Your Face is Not a Bar Code: Arguments Against Automatic Face Recognition in Public Places. Phil Agre, Sept. 7, 2001.
• The Positive Side of Biometrics. Wired, Sept. 5, 2001.
• Judge Dismisses 290 Red-Light Camera Tickets. San Diego Union-Tribune (Reuters), Sept. 4, 2001.
• Big Brother Logs On. Technology Review, Sept. 2001.
• Borders Books Kills Face-Scanning Plan Amid Criticism. Computer World, Aug. 27, 2001.
• Big Borders Bookshop is Watching You. The Sunday Herald, Aug. 26, 2001.
• Jacksonville Official Fights Face-Recognition Technology. Newsbytes, Aug. 23, 2001.
• Taxi Camera Develops Its First Lead for Police. Washington Post, Aug. 22, 2001.
• Proposal Wants to Keep Big Brother's Eye Shut. WJXT News4Jax.com, Aug. 21, 2001.
• Face Off. Boston Globe, Aug.20, 2001.
• Anger Over Face-Scanning Cameras. BBC News Online, Aug. 20, 2001.
• Technology's Creeping Threats to Privacy. BusinessWeek Online, Aug. 13, 2001.
• Think Tank Urges Face-Scanning of the Masses. The Register, Aug.13, 2001.
• Security Firms Call for Video Surveillance Law. Reuters, Aug. 8, 2001.
• Tampa Face-Recognition Vote Rattles Privacy Group. Newsbytes, Aug. 3, 2001.
• City Council Narrowly Supports Face Scanning. TBO.com News, Aug. 3, 2001.
• Red Light Cams be Damned. MSNBC, Aug. 1, 2001.
• Bill Brown of the Surveillance Camera Players lampoons Bob Garfield's Jul. 25, 2001 National Public Radio "news piece" on video surveillance.
• Face Scanners Turn Lens on Selves. Wired News, Jul. 31, 2001.
• Matching Faces with Mug Shots. Washington Post, Jul. 31, 2001.
• Congress Holds Hearing on Surveillance Cameras. Jul. 31, 2001.
• Beach Police Win Grant to Scan Faces. The Virginian-Pilot, Jul. 27, 2001.
• City Council Splits on Ybor Cameras. Bay News 9. Jul. 19, 2001.
• Floridians Mock Cop Cams. Associated Press, Jul. 16, 2001.
• Beach Surveillance Plan Gets More Critics. The Virginian-Pilot, Jul. 11, 2001.
• Hi-Tech Surveillance (radio panel). The Connection (WBUR 90.9, National Public Radio Boston), Jul. 10, 2001.
• Virginia Beach Mayor Opposes Plan to Scan Faces. The Virginian-Pilot, Jul. 10, 2001.
• Beach May Scan Oceanfront Faces. The Virginian-Pilot, Jul. 6, 2001.

Resources

• EPIC's Privacy and Human Rights 2004 Sourcebook.
• ACLU feature: ACLU Opposes Use of Face Recognition Software in Airports Due to Ineffectiveness and Privacy Concerns. (Feb. 21, 2002)
• Biomet.org (biometric resource center) – page on privacy issues.
• The Biometric Digest – biometric news and information from William Rogers and Associates.
• Declan McCullagh's PoliTechBot.com – articles on surveillance and face recognition.
• EPIC's Biometrics page.
• EPIC's Video Surveillance page.
• Face Scanning in Airports: Ready for Prime Time? Report by Richard M. Smith, fall 2001.
• Privacy.org – articles on facial recognition.
• Privacy International's Video Surveillance/CCTV page.
• Super Bowl Surveillance: Facing Up to Biometrics – free issue paper from John Woodward, Senior Policy Analyst at RAND, on the pros and cons of biometrics, including a discussion of privacy issues. Copyright 2001.

Reports on Facial Recognition

• Report on Facial Recognition Vendor Test 2002. National Institute of Standards and Technology. (March 13, 2003)
• Drawing a Blank: The Failure of Face Recognition in Tampa (pdf). American Civil Liberties Union. (Jan. 2002).
• Biometrics: A Look at Facial Recognition (pdf). RAND Public Safety and Justice (2002).
• Report on Facial Recognition Vendor Test 2000 (pdf). Department of Defense. (Feb. 16, 2001)
• Report on biometrics (pdf). National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). (2000)

Previous Top News

• New German E-Passports Thwarted by People Smiling. Germany started issuing biometric passports a week ago but problems have been caused by people smiling and visible teeth. Germany has had to issue guidelines warning that people "must have a neutral facial expression and look straight at the camera." Germany, Belgium and Sweden are the three EU countries offering biometric passports. (Nov. 10, 2005)

• Spotlight: Facial Recognition Systems Don't Picture Privacy. This month, Spotlight focuses on facial recognition systems. The Department of Homeland Security has spent millions of dollars on these "smart" cameras that attempt to identify people based on their facial images. However, several tests show the systems are not reliable. Facial recognition systems also create significant privacy risks: the cameras are often hidden and there are no laws to prevent abuse. (Nov. 4, 2005)

• UK Will Have E-passports With Facial Recognition in 2006. The United Kingdom plans to have e-passports equipped with facial biometrics and ID cards early next year. The UK government also plans to include fingerprints in both by 2009. The passports include a microchip that holds a digitised facial image, and has space to hold another biometric if needed. Bernard Herdan, chief executive of the UK Passport Service, said the passports would be phased in by February 2006 and completed by July 2006. (Oct. 25, 2005)

• Pakistan to Use Facial Recognition with Passports. The National Database and Registration Authority of Pakistan is using Viisage Technology's face recognition systems to identify passport holders. NADRA announced this week that it has scanned 34 million images for duplicates in three months. The database was expected to grow to 50 million records once enrollment is complete. (Aug. 31, 2005)

• NY Train System to Adopt New Electronic Security System. The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority has announced that it is working with Lockheed Martin to develop a state-of-the-art electronic security system to enhance security on its trains by using "intelligent video" to monitor suspicious individuals and packages. The system will be adaptable to new technology, such as devices that detect explosives, measure signs of nervousness and recognize faces. The $212 million dollar system has recently come under criticism for its inability to determine whether an object has been left in a garbage can. (Aug. 23, 2005)

• State Department Requires Digital Photographs. The State Department has decided to implement an identification system for individuals in the Visa Waiver Program that requires those individuals to produce a passport with a digital photograph stored in an integrated circuit chip by October 26, 2006. It is still unknown whether the digital photograph will be used to as a biometric identifier, but many experts have debated the safety of including sensitive information in e-passports that include RFID chips. EPIC has previously issued comments on the related issue of RFID use in US-VISIT. (June 15, 2005)

• British National ID Plan's Biometrics Use Called Flawed. Under the UK's national ID proposal, face, iris and fingerprint scans will be used to identify people. However, studies have found that biometrics being scanned in the wrong type of light or in shadow could lead to a false identification. One problem, a Home Office minister admitted, is that people with brown eyes could experience difficulties using the national ID cards. The cost of a combined passport and ID card, is estimated at £93 each. The UK House of Commons last week passed the national ID bill; it now moves to the House of Lords. (Oct. 24)

• Report: Costly National ID Scheme An Unfunded Mandate. The National Conference of State Legislatures, a bipartisan group, today released a report documenting pending legislation that pre-empts state authority, including the national ID card created by the recently passed REAL ID Act. NCSL officials estimate the national ID scheme could cost states $13 billion as they try to restructure motor vehicle offices. "The REAL ID Act handcuffs state officials with unworkable, unproven, costly mandates that compel states to enforce federal immigration policy rather than advance the paramount objective of making state-issued identity documents more secure and verifiable, " Sen. Michael Balboni said, in announcing the report. The new ID cards will include biometrics, including digital photographs that can be linked up to facial recognition systems. (Aug. 16)

• UK Identity Card Bill Introduced in Parliament. The Labour Party introduced its Identity Cards bill in the House of Commons on Monday. The bill, which may cost £18B ($32.6B) over the next 10 years, provides for ID cards that will be tied to the National Identity Register, also established by the bill. As the bill's Explanatory Note states, in the first stage only individuals who apply for "Designated Documents" will be required to register, though the bill provides authority for the government to make registration compulsory for all UK residents. The National Identity Register may eventually include name, date of birth, residence, and immigration status, as well as biometric information and personal history of every individual in the UK. The bill was initially introduced in the House of Parliament last November, but was withdrawn in April pending the outcome of the May 6 general election. (June 2)

• Congress Passes Controversial ID Bill Without Debate. The Senate yesterday approved the supplemental military spending bill to which the REAL ID Act had been attached. The legislation mandates federal identification standards and requires states DMVs, which have become the targets of identity thieves, to collect sensitive personal information. The new ID cards will include digital photographs that can be linked up to facial recognition systems. Legislators in both parties urged debate and more than 600 organizations opposed the legislation. (May 11)

• Spotlight: Federal Grants Fund Surveillance Cameras in Nation's Cities. This month, Spotlight on Surveillance turns to the $2 billion that the Department of Homeland Security will provide to state and local governments. Some of this money will be for surveillance cameras that watch people in shopping centers and on public streets, and may even look into homes. Such cameras can be linked to facial recognition systems. Studies have found that such surveillance systems have little impact on crime, and that it is more effective to place officers on the streets and improve lighting in high-crime areas. (May 2)

• Sweeping ID Bill Faces Opposition in the Senate. A bipartisan coalition of senators is urging debate on a bill that would establish a federal mandate for identification standards across the United States. The REAL ID Act would impose technological standards and verification procedures on the states, many of which are beyond the current capacity of the federal government. The bill is opposed by the National Governors Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Council of State Governments, and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. Sen. Richard Durbin also expressed concern this week that REAL ID would repeal earlier legislation that contained "carefully crafted language -- bipartisan language -- to establish standards for States issuing driver's licenses." (Apr. 22)

• Facial Recognition Linked to Mobile Phones. New software allows personal digital assistants, mobile phones or other handheld devices to use a built-in camera to recognize the face of their owner. The Okao Vision Face Recognition Sensor software by Omron is compatible with the Symbian, Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless, Linux and Itron operating systems. (Mar. 1, 2005)

• Homeland Security Adopts New Facial Recognition Standard. The Department of Homeland Security has adopted a standard developed by the International Committee for Information Technology Standards (INCITS). The standard (INCITS 385) will be used to as the technical criteria for designing equipment such as cameras and software for facial recognition. (Oct. 28, 2004)
  
  
• CATO Institute Holds Biometrics Event. The Cato Institute will be holding an event called "Eye in the Sky and Everywhere Else: Do Biometric Technologies Violate Our Rights?" Speakers included Frances Zelazny, Visionics; Dorothy Denning, Georgetown University; Marc Rotenberg, EPIC; and John D. Woodward, Jr., RAND. (Jan. 24, 2002)
  
  
• Watch the Watchers. An international coalition composed of artists, scientists, engineers, scholars, and others declared December 24 to be "World Subjectrights Day", or "World Sousveillance Day", a day to watch the watchers. Passengers are encouraged to photograph cab drivers, customers to photograph shopkeepers, citizens to photograph the police, etc. There is also a photo competition encouraging participants to send in pictures for inclusion in a national face recognition database. (Dec. 2001)
  
  
• EPIC Event to Explore Privacy Implications of New ID Systems. EPIC holds National Press Club event where experts Whitfield Diffie, Jeffrey Rosen, Richard Smith, Robert Ellis Smith, John Woodward, and Marc Rotenberg discuss privacy issues relating to security and surveillance technologies. (Oct. 22, 2001)

Last Updated: October 24, 2008
Page URL: http://www.epic.org/privacy/facerecognition/default.html