Privacy and Biometric Technologies

1
Privacy and Biometric Technologies

• Barry Steinhardt
• Director Technology and Liberty Program

2
Some Biometrics are Familiar Fingerprint and
Iris Scanning Technology

• Once somebody has you identified by your thumb
  print, theyve got you for life you cant
  reset your fingerprints

3
Others Are Not DNA

• Reveals many of our most intimate details
• Reveals things about our family members too
• Like fingerprints, can never be reset once
  compromised

4
 
Many technologies have good uses

• ACLU supports the use of reliable biometrics to
  authenticate access to secure locations
• DNA analysis of crime-scene evidence
• X ray of air cargo and baggage

5
ACLUs 3 principles for invasive technologies

• New technologies must be genuinely effective
• The level of intrusion must reflect the level of
  risk and effectiveness
• Security should be applied in a
  non-discriminatory manner

6
 
Some unjustified uses of technology

• Large-scale collection of biometrics (all airline
  passengers, all arrestees)
• Facial recognition on cameras in public places

7
Why oppose large-scale collection of biometrics?

• Wont prove identity. Garbage ingarbage out
• Equivalent to a National ID system
• Will require a massive national database
• No legal structure to protect Americans from
  abuse.

8
Why oppose facial recognition?

• Our principle New proposals must be genuinely
  effective
• Its intrusiveness is disproportionate to its
  benefit
• False sense of security
• Genuinely innocent will be subject to harassment
  or worse.

9
Many Americans were shocked at the use of
face-recognition
10
Real-world experience with facial recognition
Tampa
11
ACLU Obtained Tampa Police Face-Recognition Log
Sheets
12
A Sample of the Results
13
But most logs looked like this
14
Conclusions From Tampa

• Failed to correctly identify a single person in
  the database
• Many false positives, including obvious mistakes
• The Tampa PD stopped using it after less than six
  weeks

15
Tampas experience not surprising

• Other studies found high false positives and
  negatives
• Systems are easily fooled
• No good photo database of terrorists
• Not one single suspect correctly IDed in US.

16
How do we confine invasive technologies to
appropriate uses?
17

• Dont Use Them If They Fail the First Test If
  They Dont Make Us Safer!

18
The Fair Information Principles

• Notice
• Consent
• Limitations on Secondary Usage
• Access and Right to Correct
• Security