I struggled with what I’m going to write today. Then somebody showed me an article that made me sick. The State of Arizona is using drivers’ licences and state IDs as tools of facial recognition. So let’s look at Arizona facial recognition: Is this even legal?
Here’s how it works. They take your photo at the DMV or RMV (whatever you want to call it). Then they scan by an algorithm. This studies your facial features. Also, they compare your face to 19 million other Arizona citizens. This program is in concert with the REAL ID Act of 2005, in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. However, this act doesn’t require facial recognition. It just calls for measures in stricter identification.
So naturally, this concerns many citizens. The first concern is hacking/ID theft. Someone, especially from the inside, can hack into this database and do goodness knows what with it. But there is an even bigger concern: government surveillance. Some privacy rights groups, like the EFF, worry we’re heading toward an Orwellian state. First off, there is no system of accountability here. Then, take in there are no laws, or any incidents, to justify things like Arizona facial recognition. In fact, that’s true for any facial recognition.
What we have here is, “You give them an inch, they’ll take the mile”. The REAL ID act is the inch. Facial recognition is THE mile. There are people at the top who want to turn IT support and IT service into Big Brother. And don’t think this will be limited to just Arizona. Because in 2020, all states must adopt REAL ID standards. This could include passports just to fly domestically! It could also include facial recognition in every state. Since there’s no limit to what they can do, every state in the country can use facial recognition. And the way things are going, they probably will. I hope they don’t. Arizona facial recognition: Is this even legal?