Scanning for Criminals

It just got a lot harder to go on the lam in North Carolina. The FBI has teamed-up with the Department of Motor Vehicles there to help them track down suspects. They’re using new facial-recognition software that compares drivers license photos in the DMV database to pictures of alleged criminals.

So even if a suspect changes his name and gets a new drivers license, the feds can find him and track him down based on his facial structure. If successful, the program could prove to be a huge boon for law enforcement, but it’s also a big concern for privacy advocates.

Steve Morris is Deputy Assistant Director in the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division. We’re also joined by Jared Kaprove, a Domestic Surveillance Fellow with the Electronic Privacy Information Center.

The Associated Press: FBI delves into DMV photos in search for fugitives

(Photo by buhny via Flickr/Creative Commons)