FBI’s Facial Recognition Programs Under Fire Over Privacy, Accuracy Concerns
FBI’s Facial Recognition Programs Under Fire Over
Privacy, Accuracy Concerns
Jack Corrigan By Jack Corrigan, Staff Correspondent,
Nextgov APRIL 18, 2019 04:08 PM ET
The bureau has largely ignored the Government
Accountability Office’s concerns about its use of facial recognition in
criminal investigations.
The FBI still has not assessed whether its facial
recognition systems meet privacy and accuracy standards nearly three years
after a congressional watchdog—the Government Accountability Office—raised
multiple concerns about the bureau’s use of the tech.
Since 2015, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies
have used the Next Generation Identification-Interstate Photo System, which
uses facial recognition software to link potential suspects to crimes, pulling
from a database of more than 30 million mugshots and other photos.
In May 2016, the Government Accountability Office
recommended the FBI establish checks to ensure the software adhered to the
Justice Department’s privacy and accuracy standards, but according to a report
published Thursday, the bureau has yet to implement any of the six proposed
policy changes.
GAO added every measure to the Justice Department’s list
of “priority open recommendations,” though DOJ officials previously disputed
whether four of the six policies are necessary.
“By addressing these issues, DOJ would have reasonable
assurance that their [facial recognition] technology provides accurate
information that helps enhance, rather than hinder, criminal investigations,”
Gretta Goodwin, GAO’s director of justice and law enforcement issues, told
Nextgov. “Even more, DOJ would help ensure that it is sufficiently protecting
the privacy and civil liberties of U.S. citizens.”
Auditors recommended the bureau test the accuracy and
effectiveness of the NGI-IPS system at least once a year and make improvements
as necessary, but FBI officials said such reviews were unnecessary because “no
users have expressed concerns” with the system. However, annual operational
assessments are mandatory under FBI, Justice Department and Office of
Management and Budget policy, regardless of user feedback, auditors said.
GAO also urged the bureau to test the system’s false
positive rate—how often it incorrectly identifies someone as a potential
suspect—but officials have yet to do so. The FBI also relies on a handful of
facial recognition systems developed by other state and federal law enforcement
agencies to conduct investigations, but GAO found the bureau still isn’t
measuring whether those tools meet its accuracy standards either.
“Until FBI officials can assure themselves that the data
they receive from external partners are reasonably accurate and reliable, it is
unclear whether such agreements are beneficial to the FBI, whether the
investment of public resources is justified, and whether photos of innocent
people are unnecessarily included as investigative leads,” auditors wrote.
The bureau also failed to implement a pair of GAO
recommendations for improving the transparency of its facial recognition
operations and determining whether its practices respect individuals’ privacy
rights.
The report comes as the FBI ramps up its use of facial
recognition in criminal investigations. Last year, the bureau started testing a
facial recognition tool developed by Amazon as a way to sort through the
massive amounts of surveillance footage it collects during investigations.
Civil rights groups raised concerns about the accuracy of the Amazon software
after it incorrectly matched 28 members of Congress to criminal mugshots.
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