Bulk Of FBI Agents Operate Facial Recognition Tech Without Adequate Training, GAO Report Reveals

Zinger Key Points
  • A recent GAO report reveals that FBI agents have been using facial recognition technology without sufficient training.
  • Only 5% of 200 agents with access to the technology have undergone the bureau's official training course.
  • The DOJ is planning to implement a policy for facial recognition usage to protect civil liberties and rights, but no timeline has been set.

Agents of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have reportedly been using facial recognition technology without the necessary training, raising serious concerns about privacy and civil liberties.

What Happened: A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, initiated by a group of seven Democratic Congressional members, disclosed that the FBI has performed numerous facial recognition searches using software from third-party vendors over the years.

Astonishingly, only 5% of the 200 agents having access to this technology have completed the bureau’s three-day training course for its use, according to a report by The Wired.

There is currently no safeguard policy to protect privacy, civil liberties, or civil rights in the application of this technology.

See Also: RNC Threatens To Cancel GOP Debate If New Hampshire Primary Date Moves Up

The GAO report highlighted that the FBI’s usage of facial recognition tools far exceeded that of other federal law enforcement agencies. From October 2019 to March 2022, seven agencies conducted over 60,000 searches, with FBI agents executing more than half of them.

The software used was sourced from companies such as Clearview AI and Thorn, a nonprofit that uses facial recognition to fight sex trafficking.

Despite the evident concerns and criticisms, there is no current law that requires federal law enforcement officers to receive training prior to using facial recognition or to adhere to specific standards when using it in criminal investigations.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has plans to enforce a civil liberties and civil rights policy for facial recognition usage, but no date has been confirmed yet.

The report surfaces at a time when facial recognition technology is under intense scrutiny, with misidentification instances leading to wrongful arrests, particularly among Asian Americans and dark-skinned women. For years, the FBI has been under pressure to enhance the safeguards surrounding its use of this technology.

Read Next: Peter Thiel, Mark Cuban and Warren Buffet funded early-stage startups and made millions. You don't need to be a well-connected billionaire to do the same. Click here to invest in promising startups today.

Photo via Shutterstock


Engineered by Benzinga Neuro, Edited by Ramakrishnan M


The GPT-4-based Benzinga Neuro content generation system exploits the extensive Benzinga Ecosystem, including native data, APIs, and more to create comprehensive and timely stories for you. Learn more.


Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs
Comments
Loading...
Posted In: GovernmentNewsRegulationsTop StoriesTechAIartificial intelligencefacial recognition technologyFBIFederal Bureau of Investigation
Benzinga simplifies the market for smarter investing

Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.

Join Now: Free!