News

FCW: Agencies shouldn’t use facial recognition for ID verification, groups say

February 15, 2022

A coalition of human rights and tech organizations are calling on government agencies to stop using identity verification vendor ID.me or other identity verification tools that use facial recognition.

The Internal Revenue Service announced last week it would stop using ID.me, which has historically relied on facial recognition for identity proofing, although it recently announced it would offer other options. The IRS had received pressure both from outside groups and from Capitol Hill. 

“We call on other federal and state government agencies using or considering use of ID.me to follow suit and cancel the use of ID.me and other facial verification tools,” the Feb. 14 open letterstates. “This third-party technology should not be forced upon individuals by government agencies.”

The letter, led by the Electronic Privacy Information Center with the Algorithmic Justice League and Fight for the Future, has 46 signees including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Project on Government Oversight.

Read more here.

Support Our Work

EPIC's work is funded by the support of individuals like you, who allow us to continue to protect privacy, open government, and democratic values in the information age.

Donate