The FBI has been pilot-testing the high-tech program, which compiles mugshots, DNA information, iris scans and voice recognition, in several states since February.
The FBI is gearing up to launch a national facial recognition system that is expected to transform how the organization fights crime.
The Next Generation Identification program, a $1 billion update to the FBI’s national fingerprint database, matches surveillance images to photos of known criminals to aid agents in identifying and catching suspects, New Scientist magazine reported.
The FBI has been pilot-testing the high-tech program, which compiles mugshots, DNA information, iris scans and voice recognition, in several states since February.
It is expected to be implemented nationwide by 2014.
The facial recognition system works in two ways: it can compare an image to the FBI’s massive database of mugshots to pinpoint criminals, and can also track suspects in surveillance footage by honing in on their faces in a crowd.
The FBI has not announced what type of facial recognition software it is using for the program, but the most-advanced software in the field reportedly boasts an accuracy of more than 90 percent.
Several public advocates are wary of the project, fearing that the database will eventually extend beyond criminals to include images of the innocent.
The database used in the pilot studies is only comprised of mugshots of known criminals, FBI official Jerome Pender told the Senate in July. It remains unclear if images of the general public will also be included once it is nationally implemented.
Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) suggested in July that the database raises serious privacy issues.
“[It] could be abused to not only identify protesters at political events and rallies, but to target them for selective jailing and prosecution, stifling their First Amendment rights,” he said.
