The American federal government recently announced that they will be expanding their use of facial recognition in order to pursue criminals and scan for potential threats.
Ten federal agencies are involved in this new rollout:
- Department of Agriculture
- Department of Commerce
- Homeland Security
- Department of Defense
- Department of the Interior
- Department of the State
- Department of Justice
- Health and Human Services
- Treasury Department
- Veterans Affairs
These agencies told the the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that they plan to expand their use of facial recognition technology by 2023, according to a report by GAO.
These agencies already utilize facial recognition tech for employees to unlock their phones and laptops, or gain access to buildings. These departments say they are increasingly using this technology to investigate crime and track citizens.
According to The Washington Post, ‘The Department of Agriculture, for instance, said it wants to use it to monitor live surveillance feeds at its facilities and send an alert if it spots any faces also found on a watch list.’
Virginia, Massachusetts and Maine, and a handful of cities such as Boston and San Francisco, ban this technology for public officials and police.
In April Senators Ron Wyden of Oregon and Rand Paul of Kentucky presented a bipartisan bill that would ban the government from using facial recognition systems that relied on information that had been “illegitimately obtained.”
The Post’s report notes that proponents of further rollout say the technology is getting better and has played a crucial role in identifying criminal activity. But others are cautious, as the current systems have had trouble differentiating things such as skin color at times.
Even with all the privacy issues and accuracy problems, the government is pretty much saying, ‘Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.’
Jake Laperruque, a senior counsel at the Project on Government Oversight, an independent watchdog group in Washington.
‘The GAO said in June that 20 federal agencies have used either internally developed or privately run facial recognition software, even though 13 of those agencies said they did not “have awareness” of which private systems they used and had therefore “not fully assessed the potential risks … to privacy and accuracy,”’ said the Washington Post.
In the updated report, GAO said the Air Force, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Department of Justice, have used face scanning tech courtesy of Clearview AI – a firm that has been the subject of lawsuits from privacy groups and faced legal demands from the likes of Facebook and Google, after the firm copied billions of facial images from social media without their approval.
Moreover, the Secret Service said that they had tested the firm’s free trial. The U.S. Park Police stopped using it last June while the Fish and Wildlife Service reported that they purchased an annual subscription, GAO notes.
The Washington Post wrote, ‘Many federal agencies said they used the software by requesting that officials in state and local governments run searches on their own software and report the results. Many searches were routed through a nationwide network of “fusion centers,” which local police and federal investigators use to share information on potential threats or terrorist attacks. U.S. Customs and Border Protection, for instance, told the GAO it used Clearview’s software free by requesting help from an agent stationed at a fusion center in New York.’
A contract was awarded via the Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to enhance its facial recognition system containing a database of “transnational gang members.” The Washington Post says they have reported this Department’s database possesses driver’s licenses, license plates and private utility records.
Another 10 agencies said they were researching to build and/or upgrade the software to better recognize people wearing a face mask. The State Department it had been researching the affects of the aging process and the accuracy to be able to examine children’s passport photos.
The Transportation Department reported that they had been studying systems to trace a truck driver’s eyes for signs of distraction, fatigue and weariness, identical to Amazon’s facial recognition systems. The same applies for train drivers and airplane pilots.
Amazon Announces New AI Powered Cameras To Be Placed In Delivery Vehicles
Officials for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection have called facial surveillance “the way of the future.” They said they scanned over 88 million travelers at border crossings, airports, and cruise ports. They found 850 imposters since 2018.
When campaigning for the 2016 Presidential Election, Donald Trump campaigned that his administration would instigate and install and biometric tracking systems for the border, to surveil the potential for illegal immigrants and smuggling, and expired passports.
On September 11th, 2020, the Federal Government proposed a bill that included that collection of things such as voice prints, iris scans, and even actual DNA, from U.S. Citizens and Immigrants.
AUTHOR COMMENTARY
[17] As for us, our eyes as yet failed for our vain help: in our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save us. [18] They hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our streets: our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come. [19] Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness.Lamentations 4:17-19
For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof: but by a man of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged.
Proverbs 28:2
Yay, more surveillance and tracking of us. Just keep on taking our fourth amendment right and use it as toilet paper!
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Amendment IV
So, you’re a “tad bit” late to the party senators “Ronnie” and “Paulie.” Thanks for pretending to care NOW that the facial recognition crap is thoroughly engrained in our life and society.
And once again, “The Don” further shows his allegiance to whom he really serves: but we are all supposed to pretend this doesn’t exist, and stripping our freedoms is a good thing, right? It’s typical problem, reaction, solution. Allow absurd border and immigration policies to fester because of mostly Democratic-funded policies, which then leads to more crime, drugs, and abuse; which then let’s the “caring” government to step in and fix the problem.
The WinePress have been reporting on this ever-increasing move to more and more facial recognition, and other bodily tracking systems – as we get closer and closer to the smart cities, and the mark of the beast technology.
U.S.A’s Own Social Credit Score System Is Coming Soon
TikTok Will Now Collect Biometric Data Including Face And Voiceprints
Disney World Introduces Facial Recognition At Magic Kingdom
Fast Food Chains Updating Drive-Thrus To Use AI And Facial Recognition To Speed Up Orders
The REAL Reason Sweden Did Not Lockdown
[16] And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: [17] And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. [18] Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.Revelation 13:16-18
[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).
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