Facial scanning targets ID theft (Denver Post)

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

Article Published: Sunday, January 02, 2005

License process ferrets out fraud

By Arthur Kane
Denver Post Staff Writer

New computer technology has helped state motor vehicle officials detect hundreds of people trying to obtain phony driver's licenses in the past year.

Colorado is among a handful of states utilizing facial- recognition technology, or biometrics, to combat identity theft, with the system catching as many as five people a week trying to get a license in someone else's name.

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I think it's rife with the possibility for abuse," said Cathryn Hazouri, executive director of the Colorado chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. "There's something about having a photo and name out in cyberspace that people don't like."

Privacy experts fear that authorities will use the technology to scan airports and other public places for criminals and terrorists, but state officials said they have never done so and have no such plans. Driver's license officials also do not check against other databases to look for fugitives or illegal immigrants.

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on edit: the more they protest that the technology won't be abused, the more I worry.

MKJ

[RC]

1. Public scanning of crowds has been proven not to work.

Too many errors. Standing you up alone and facing the camera is another story.

[WhiteTara]

2. I feel sick to my stomach.

The faster it progresses the more I want to leave to a place
where IT is less advanced.  

[grasswire]

3. yes

This is the biggest danger yet to our civil liberties. When dissent is criminalized, all these tools will be used against the citizenry. Too many people depend on the continuation of a benevolent government, not understanding that they must always consider the probability that the government will turn against the people.