The accuracy of biometric identification technologies – such as facial recognition tech – has improved over time, but a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reveals that more could be done from a policy perspective to ensure the safe use of those kinds of technologies. […]

Bipartisan legislation introduced in the Senate this week would strip the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) of its authority to use facial recognition technology as part of its airline passenger screening program, and require the agency to get rid of data obtained through the use of facial recognition technology. […]

A handful of law enforcement agencies across the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Justice (DoJ) are utilizing facial recognition technologies without requiring proper staff training to do so, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found in its latest report on the technology. […]

The General Services Administration (GSA) has launched a new study that will help assess the impacts of facial verification technology across demographic groups and vulnerable populations. […]

The Inspector General (IG) at the Department of Labor is warning in a new report about serious equity and security concerns with the use of facial recognition software in unemployment insurance (UI) programs and says that those concerns need to be addressed immediately. […]

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has determined that facial recognition systems can work well, although some – but not all – still show performance demographic differentials, according to a report DHS released on Feb 23. […]

Five senators are calling on the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to halt its use of facial recognition technology, arguing that it is unclear how travelers can opt out of facial recognition at airports. […]

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced the fourth revision to its Digital Identity Guidelines draft on Dec. 16. […]

The creation of a new police misconduct database, and a further evaluation of the use of facial recognition technologies in law enforcement, are among several foundational elements in President Biden’s executive order on policing issued today on the second anniversary of the killing of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police officers. […]

Leaders of the House Oversight and Reform Committee are launching an investigation into identity verification contractor ID.me, citing concerns about the efficacy, security, and privacy of its facial recognition technology that is used by millions of Americans seeking access to government services. […]

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said on Feb. 21 that it will allow taxpayers to opt out of using facial recognition technology to verify their identity and access online accounts, and at the same time will work to roll out login.gov as its long-term authentication solution. […]

A group of Senate Democrats is calling for the removal of facial recognition technology in verification processes for state unemployment programs. […]

A group of House and Senate members from both major political parties urged five Federal agencies in  Feb. 9 letters to end their use of facial recognition technologies, particularly those that employ AI tools supplied by software firm Clearview. […]

The IRS is planning to transition away from using facial recognition technology provider ID.me to verify IRS.gov accounts, according to Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore. […]

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) wrote an open letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) opposing any efforts by the agency to expand its use of facial recognition technology. […]

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is collecting feedback and opinions regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and facial recognition between now and December 6. […]

The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (ERDC-CERL) is looking to use facial recognition and video analytic software to monitor the health and well-being of children at the Scales Avenue child development center (CDC) in Fort Jackson, South Carolina. […]

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) concluded in a new report that Federal law enforcement agencies need to have better awareness of the facial recognition systems that are used by their employees so they can better assess risks involving privacy and accuracy. […]

Congresswomen Ayana Pressley, D-Mass., Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., on July 7 reintroduced legislation in the House to ban facial recognition use in most Federally funded public housing. […]

The U.S. Army is looking to deploy facial recognition technology to further automate its drive-thru checkpoints. The Army issued a presolicitation under its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) broad agency announcement. […]

The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) issued a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) seeking information on developing software capable of whole-body (WB) identification at long-range and from elevated platforms. […]

The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) Office of Field Operations has launched its new biometrics entry/exit website to provide a communications channel for promoting facial recognition comparison technology and biometric information. […]

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) needs to address privacy and system performance issues as it moves forward with facial recognition technology and programs for identity checks, according to a Government Accountability Office report. […]

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) component agency want to expand use of biometrics with a new rule that would implement the technology for identity verification, document production, records management, and even to prove familial relationships. […]

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) launched an investigation to see how well facial recognition algorithms could identify people wearing face masks and found that it does so with “great difficulty.” […]

In a letter to House leadership, a group of House Democrats urged leadership to block Federal spending on facial recognition technologies for law enforcement. […]

New bicameral legislation was introduced aimed at stopping government use of facial recognition and other biometric technology. […]

Chairperson of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, introduced legislation on June 18 to fund research into policing activities including the use of emerging tech such as facial recognition. […]

Members of the House Homeland Security Committee today questioned Federal government officials about the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) use of facial recognition technologies, and potential racial bias in the technology. […]

A group of privacy and civil liberties groups wrote a letter to the Privacy and Civil Liberties Board (PCLOB) urging the board to demand that the President and Secretary of Homeland Security suspend the use of facial recognition systems by Federal agencies. […]