The last time I got my driver's license renewed I noticed something peculiar about the camera they were using to take my picture. It was an Idemia facial recognition camera, I was familiar with the brand name from my day job. I had used their biometric fingerprint products in the past for access control systems. The next time one of these cameras popped up in my life was while I was at the airport going through TSA. I handed the TSA agent my ID and found myself standing in front of one of these cameras yet again.

So, I was thinking this can't be a coincidence. What's happening with this technology behind the scenes?

How the DMV, TSA, and Government Agencies use Facial Recognition Cameras

Most people are familiar with the process of getting your driver's license. During that process you will have your picture taken that gets printed onto the license. Have you ever put much more thought into what that picture is used for after it's taken?

The DMV and State-to-State (S2S) Verification Service

From their website:

"State-to-State (S2S) Verification Service is a means for a state to electronically check with all other participating states to determine if the applicant currently holds a driver license or identification card in another state."

This service is run by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA). According to their website the AAMVA is a tax-exempt, nonprofit association developing model programs in motor vehicle administration, law enforcement, and highway safety.

The S2S database allows states to check whether or not someone already has a driver's license in another state.

In 2014 a man in Iowa, Ronald Carnes, was captured after escaping prison in North Carolina in 1973. When he attempted to get a driver's license in Iowa, the Iowa DMV's facial recognition software detected his face in the system under two different names. I don't disagree that this was a good use case for the technology, although I'm still not a big fan of it.

Next, let's look at how this information is shared to other organizations.

TSA Facial Recognition Cameras

If you have flown lately, you may have noticed these cameras as you start your journey through the TSA security checkpoint. You hand the agent your ID and they ask you to stand in front of a camera. What is really happening when they do this? According to the TSA, when you give the agent your ID, they scan it and the camera compares your face to the photo on the ID. They claim that the system only uses the photo from the ID and it does not connect to a database or store the photo after it is taken. They also claim its optional and you can choose not to have your face scanned. Are you going to risk telling the TSA no to this as you’re trying to catch your flight? I know I wouldn't risk missing my flight and ruining my vacation over it.

My next concern is how long will it be before they do tie it into a database. I imagine that is the ultimate goal for this technology.

Check out this article about it. They discuss the concerns of this facial recognition technology being used at airports and the implications of it.

Government Agencies with Access to DMV Photos

When it comes to our government, this shouldn't be a surprise. The FBI, DHS, and ICE have been using facial recognition for years. The FBI has been building a massive facial recognition database. These agencies access DMV photos among other databases such as mugshot photos. According to this ACLU article, the FBI claims they don't even need a warrant to search this database. That article outlines a number of issues surrounding the FBI using this technology. It basically boils down to the FBI not having any real oversight for this and they don't disclose which companies they work with.

The FBI isn't alone in using this technology against Americans. ICE, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, also has access to DMV photos for facial comparison. I don't know about you, but I'm a natural born American citizen. Why does an agency like ICE get access to my biometric data. No one consented to this, and Congress didn't approve it, but it's happening anyways.

You can read here on the DHS website how they use facial recognition technology. Of course, it outlines how they do it safely and how you can opt out of certain uses of it. As we all know, telling the government you don't want to participate always goes so well.

Conclusion

I don't think I'm alone in thinking this is going to lead to a much worse surveillance state. As government agencies roll out more of this technology with little oversight, they slowly chip away at our rights. With the advancements in AI this technology is only going to get stronger and easier to deploy to every corner of the country. If something isn't done soon to regulate this, its going to get to an irreversible point. We may already be past that point now.