Huge FBI facial recognition database falls short on privacy and accuracy, auditor says

The FBI has fallen short on assessing the privacy risks and accuracy of a huge facial recognition database used by several law enforcement agencies, a government auditor has said.

A new report, released by the U.S. Government Accountability Office Wednesday, shows the FBI’s use of facial recognition technology is “far greater” than previously understood, said Senator Al Franken, the Minnesota Democrat who requested the GAO report.

The FBI’s Next Generation Identification-Interstate Photo System (NGI-IPS), which allows law enforcement agencies to search a database of more than 30 million photos of 16.9 million people, raises serious privacy concerns, Franken added in a press release.

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