The federal government has tapped into state driver’s license databases to collect facial recognition data on millions of Americans in the past five years.
Georgetown Law researchers obtained thousands of FBI and ICE requests to states for facial searches on Americans and illegal and legal immigrants.
The FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement use state databases to identify and find crime suspects, associates, and innocent bystanders who may have witnessed the event. Georgetown Law researchers obtained thousands of FBI and ICE requests to states for facial searches on Americans and illegal and legal immigrants, according to the Washington Post.
Politicians on both sides of the aisle have condemned the practice. Neither Congress nor any state legislature has passed legislation sanctioning the practice, and several states have passed laws to restrict it.
“Law enforcement’s access of state databases … [is] often done in the shadows with no consent,” House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings said in a statement.
“[State motor vehicle departments have] just given access to that to the FBI,” said Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, the ranking Republican on the House Oversight Committee. “No individual signed off on that when they renewed their driver’s license, got their driver’s licenses. They didn’t sign any waiver saying, ‘Oh, it’s okay to turn my information, my photo, over to the FBI.’ No elected officials voted for that to happen.”
FBI Deputy Assistant Director Kimberly Del Greco defended her agency’s procedures for identifying criminal suspects and witnesses while testifying in front of Congress on June 4.
“Facial recognition is a tool that, if used properly, can greatly enhance law enforcement capabilities and protect public safety, but if used carelessly and improperly, may negatively impact privacy and civil liberties,” Del Greco testified.
“Due to law-enforcement sensitivities, ICE will not comment on investigative techniques, tactics or tools. During the course of an investigation, ICE has the ability to collaborate with external local, federal and international agencies to obtain information that may assist in case completion and subsequent prosecution. This is an established procedure that is consistent with other law enforcement agencies,” ICE spokesman Matthew Bourke told the Washington Examiner.
The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
