Entries tagged with: biometrics

90 result(s) displayed.

EPIC Opposes DHS's Plans to Broadly Expand Biometric Collection

In comments to the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, EPIC urged the agency to rescind a proposed rule to broadly permit DHS to collect biometric from immigrants, their families, and associates. DHS's rule would enable...

EPIC Urges DHS to Extend Comment Period on Massive Expansion of Biometric Data Collection

In a letter to the Department of Homeland Security, EPIC urged DHS to provide the standard 60-day comment period for a notice of proposed rulemaking authorizing DHS to expand its biometric data collection practices. DHS would be able to collect...

CBP Failed to Protect Sensitive Biometric Information in Test of Facial Recognition Program

In a new report, the Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security found that Customs and Border Protection failed to safeguard pictures of travelers obtained for a facial recognition pilot program, the Biometric Entry-Exit Program. The pictures were exposed...

Professors Hartzog and Richards: Clearview AI Gets Privacy and First Amendment Wrong

In a recent Boston Globe op-ed Professors Woody Hartzog, an EPIC Advisory Board member, and Neil Richards assert that Clearview AI's claim of a First Amendment right to scrape, analyze, and disseminate publicly available photos is a threat to privacy...

GAO Report: CBP Needs to Address Privacy Issues with Facial Recognition Deployment

A report by the Government Accountability Office found that Customs and Border Protection needs to address privacy issues with the agency's deployment of facial recognition technology at ports of entry. CBP currently deploys facial recognition at 27 airports as part...

Amazon Claims 'Halo' Device Will Monitor User's Voice for 'Emotional Well-Being'

Despite the exceptional privacy risks of biometric data collection and opaque, unproven algorithms, Amazon last week unveiled Halo, a wearable device that purports to measure "tone" and "emotional well-being" based on a user's voice. According to Amazon, the device "uses...

Bill to Ban Face Surveillance Introduced in Congress

Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), along with Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) today introduced legislation to stop government use of biometric surveillance, including facial recognition tools. The Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology...

DHS Proposes Database to Link Biometric Data, EPIC will Oppose

The Department of Homeland Security has published a Systems of Record Notice for the "Enterprise Biometric Administrative Records." The DHS seeks to link personal data in the IDENT biometric database to unique machine-generated identifiers. IDENT contains personal data on both...

In FOIA Case, EPIC Obtains Details on State Department's Facial Recognition Program

In response to EPIC's Freedom on Information Act lawsuit, EPIC v. State, the State Department has provided EPIC with several agency agreements concerning State Department facial recognition program. The Consular Consolidated Database contains millions of images from visa and passport...

Supreme Court Declines to Review Facebook Face Scan Case

The U.S. Supreme Court will leave in place a decision that allows lawsuits against Facebook for the unlawful collection of facial images. In Patel v. Facebook, the Ninth Circuit held that that an Illinois biometrics law protects "concrete privacy interests"...

CBP Drops Airport Face Scanning Proposal

Customs and Border Protection has removed its proposal to require U.S. citizens to undergo mandatory face recognition at airports, following widespread protest. Currently, only foreign nationals are required to undergo facial screening at airports. According to a CBP spokesperson, the...

Facebook Asks Supreme Court to Review Face Scan Decision

Facebook has filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to review a decision that allows lawsuits against Facebook for the unlawful collection of facial images. In Patel v. Facebook, the Ninth Circuit held that that an Illinois biometrics law protects...

Swiss Sign Convention 108+, 35 Countries Back Privacy Convention

This week, Switzerland signed the Modernized International Privacy Convention. With the Swiss signature thirty-five countries now back Convention 108+. The Council of Europe Convention 108+ is the first and only binding international legal instrument for data protection. Updated in 2018,...

Congress to Consider Moratorium on Facial Recognition

POLITICO reports that House leaders will consider a moratorium on funding facial recognition following a House Oversight Committee hearing on DHS facial recognition programs. Prior to the hearing, EPIC briefed members of the House committee about the entry-exit program at...

Federal Appeals Court Says Consumers Can Sue Facebook for Facial Recognition

A federal appeals court has ruled that users can sue Facebook for collecting and using their facial images. In Patel v. Facebook, users contend that Facebook violated an Illinois biometric privacy law by creating biometric templates of their faces without...

Privacy Board to Review Use of Biometrics at Airports, Privacy of Passenger Data, and FBI Surveillance

The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board has announced three new oversight projects. The PCLOB reviews federal agency programs to ensure they do not diminish privacy and civil liberties. The Board said it will review: (1) the use of biometrics,...

EPIC to Congress: Suspend Facial Recognition at Airports

Earlier this week, the House Homeland Security Committee held a closed-door roundtable briefing on the use of facial recognition technology by the Department of Homeland Security. The Committee met with privacy and civil liberties advocates, including EPIC Senior Counsel, Jeramie...

EPIC Sues State Department About Secret Facial Recognition Database

EPIC filed a lawsuit today to compel the State Department to release information about the transfer of facial images, gathered from visa and passport applicants, to other federal agencies. EPIC explained to the federal court in Washington, DC that the...

EPIC FOIA: Massive DHS Biometric Database Still Lacks a Privacy Impact Assessment

In response to EPIC's Freedom of Information Act request, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that no privacy impact assessment has been completed for a vast DHS biometric database known as the "Homeland Advanced Recognition Technology." The HART database will...

EPIC to TSA: Conduct Rulemaking on Facial Recognition

In comments to inform the Transportation Security Administration's 2020 National Strategy, EPIC recommended that TSA to suspend the facial recognition program at US airports. EPIC wrote, "The TSA's use of facial recognition lacks the safeguards necessary for implementation." EPIC has...

EPIC to Congress: Funding for TSA Facial Recognition Program Must Be Halted

EPIC has sent a statement to the House Appropriations Committee regarding the TSA's FY2020 budget request, urging Congress to suspend the "Biometric Entry-Exit" program until privacy safeguards are established. EPIC said Congress should halt funding for TSA's facial recognition program...

Buzzfeed: EPIC Docs Reveal Flawed Facial Recognition Program

At the start of Sunshine Week, Buzzfeed featured documents obtained by EPIC about a deeply flawed facial recognition program that could impact all U.S. travelers returning to the United States. The documents, released following an EPIC FOIA request, describe the...

Unanimous Decision in Illinois Supreme Court Ensures Strict Limits on Biometric Data Collection

The Illinois Supreme Court ruled today in Rosenbach v. Six Flags, a case about a state privacy law that protects biometric data. Parents sued the theme park after it collected a child's fingerprints, charging a violation of the Illinois biometric...

EPIC Amicus: Unlawful Collection of Biometric Data Establishes Standing

EPIC has filed an amicus brief in a case concerning Facebook's collection of facial images in violation of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act. In Patel v. Facebook, EPIC argued that the violation of the privacy law was sufficient for...

EPIC Investigates Airport Facial Recognition Opt-Out Procedures

In an urgent FOIA request, EPICis seeking documents from CBP about the procedures for travelers to opt-out of biometric entry/exit program. EPIC found that CBP frequently changes the program without any formal procedures. One consequence is that it is now...

EPIC to Congress: Federal Agency Making Up the Rules for Facial Recognition Screening

EPIC has sent a statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee for an oversight hearing of Customs and Border Protection. EPIC cited frequent changes CBP has made to the opt-out procedures for the biometric entry/exit program. "Without legal authority or the...

EPIC to DHS Privacy Advisory Committee: End Facial Recognition

In response to a public notice by the Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee, EPIC submitted comments urging the CBP to halt implementation of the biometric border program. EPIC stressed the need for federal regulation to safeguard privacy and prevent...

Inspector General Report: Airport Facial Recognition Faces Technical Problems

A Department of Homeland Security Inspector General report highlighted many challenges to facial recognition at airports. The problems of accurate biometric matches apply to all travelers, and particularly U.S. citizens. According to the Inspector General's report, "U.S. citizens accounted for...

Indian Supreme Court Imposes New Limits on National Identity System

In a ruling today, the Indian Supreme Court imposed new limits on Aadhar, India's national biometric identification system. The Court found the system did not violate the Indian constitution, but struck down a section of the law permitting private entities...

EPIC Urges DHS To Abandon Privacy Act Exemptions for New Biometric Database

In comments to the Department of Homeland Security, EPIC urged the agency to withdraw proposed Privacy Act exemptions that would reduce privacy safeguards in the federal government. The Immigration Biometric and Background Check database will contain personal data on U.S....

EPIC Urges Suspension of Biometric Entry/Exit Program

In comments to Customs and Border Protection, EPIC urged the agency to suspend the Biometric Entry/Exit Program. EPIC argued that less privacy-invasive alternatives should be considered and that the program should not move forward until Congress has passed regulations implementing...

EPIC Urges Illinois Supreme Court to Uphold Strict Limits on Biometric Data Collection

EPIC has filed an amicus brief with the Illinois Supreme Court in Rosenbach v. Six Flags Entertainment Corp, about the collection of a child's biometric data in violation of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act. EPIC explained that the Illinois...

EPIC Pursues Privacy Impact Assessments for Proposed DHS Biometric Database

EPIC has submitted an urgent Freedom of Information Act request to the Department of Homeland Security seeking the Privacy Impact Assessment for the "Homeland Advanced Recognition Technology," a proposed system that will integrate biometric identifiers across the federal government. HART...

Senators Urge DHS to Address Concerns Over Facial Recognition at Airports; Conduct Public Rule-Making

In a letter to DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielson, Senators Edward Markey (D-MA) and Mike Lee (R-UT) urged the agency to promptly conduct a public rulemaking on the agency's biometric exit program prior to any expansion of the program. The program,...

EPIC to Congress: Enhanced Surveillance at Border Will Impact Rights of U.S. Citizens

EPIC has sent a statement to the House Homeland Security Committee in advance of a hearing with the Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection. EPIC urged the Committee to ask the CBP Commissioner about the collection of biometric data at...

EPIC FOIA: EPIC Obtains FBI Policy for Disseminating Biometric Info

Through a Freedom of Information Act request, EPIC has obtained the FBI’s “Policy for Biometric Information Sharing with Domestic and International Agencies.” The documents EPIC obtained also contain details of the United States’ agreement with Iraq to exchange biometric data,...

Court Rules that Users have Standing to Sue Facebook about Facial Recognition

The Northern District of California has ruled that Facebook users have standing to pursue a class action challenging Facebook's use of facial recognition software. The court said that the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act requires plaintiffs only to show that...

EPIC Urges Congress to Suspend Facial Recognition At US Airports

EPIC has sent a statement to the House Homeland Security Committee in advance of a hearing on the Transportation Security Administration. EPIC urged the Committee to limit the collection of biometric data at US airports. EPIC described the growing use...

Republican DACA Bill Would Expand Use of Drones, Biometrics

The Secure and Succeed Act (S. Amdt. 1959 to H.R. 2579), sponsored by several Republican Senators, would link DACA with hi-tech border surveillance. Customs and Border Protection would use facial recognition and other biometric technologies to inspect travelers, both US...

EPIC Urges FBI to Limit Fingerprint-Based Background Checks

In response to a request for comments, EPIC has urged the FBI to expand its use of name-based — rather than fingerprint-based — background checks for noncriminal purposes, such as employment. The FBI currently uses fingerprints, stored in the Next...

EPIC FOIA: Report Reveals Failure of Border Biometric Matching Program

Through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, EPIC has obtained a report from Custom and Border Protection, which evaluated iris imaging and facial recognition scans for border control. The "Southwest Border Pedestrian Field Test" reveals that the agency program does...

EPIC Urges Senate to Block Biometric Collection At US Airports

EPIC has sent a statement to the Senate Commerce Committee following a hearing on the Transportation Security Administration. EPIC urged the Committee to limit the collection of biometric data at US airports. EPIC described the growing and regulated use of...

NGOs to Meet with Privacy Commissioners at Public Voice Event in Hong Kong

The Public Voice will host an event with NGOs and Privacy Commissioners at the 39th International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners in Hong Kong. "Emerging Privacy Issues: A Dialogue Between NGOs & DPAs" will address emerging privacy issues,...

EPIC Obtains Final Report on "Face ePassport Air Entry Experiment"

As the result of a Freedom of Information Act request, EPIC has obtained a report on the use of face recognition on travelers entering the United States at Dulles Airport. The report was obtained after EPIC filed a lawsuit against...

Supreme Court of India Rules Privacy is a Fundamental Right

India's Supreme Court has ruled that privacy is a fundamental right under the Indian Constitution. In a unanimous ruling, the Court explained the "right to privacy is protected as an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty...

EPIC to Congress: Examine Facial Recognition Surveillance at the Border

EPIC has sent a statement to the House Homeland Security Committee in advance of a hearing on "Technology's Role on Securing the Border." EPIC alerted the Committee to EPIC's recent FOIA lawsuit about the federal government's deployment of a biometric...

EPIC Files FOIA Lawsuit Over Border Biometrics, Expanded Tracking

EPIC has filed a FOIA lawsuit against Customs and Border Protection for information about the agency’s deployment of a biometric entry/exit tracking system, including at US airports. Trump's recent Executive Order regarding immigration ordered the expedited implementation of a biometric...

EPIC Urges TSA to Consider Alternative to Biometric Collection

In comments to the Transportation Security Administration, EPIC urged the agency to consider alternatives to expanding the collection of biometric identifiers for the TSA Pre-Check application. EPIC explained the potential for biometric identifiers to be used for purposes other than...

EPIC Urges Senate Committee to Investigate FBI's Massive Biometric Database

EPIC has sent a statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee for an upcoming FBI oversight hearing. EPIC urged the Committee to investigate the FBI's Next Generation Identification system, a massive biometric database. EPIC has sought to ensure that the FBI...

EPIC Joins Coalition to Urge FOIA Compliance on Immigration Enforcement

EPIC joined a coalition of civil society organizations to urge the Immigration and Customs Enforcement to comply with the Freedom of Information Act. The letter to DHS Secretary Kelly calls upon the federal agency to "fully disclose information on immigration...