FBI Unveils Plan to Improve Biometrics Database
Posted Jan 04, 2008
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The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has recently announced plans to build the word's largest computer database of peoples' physical characteristics. The project will cost $1 billion and will enable the U.S. government to identify individuals living in the United States and abroad. The agency already has access to biometric data on many individuals. This data includes fingerprints, digital images of faces, and palm prints. In the next several years, the FBI will also be able to identify individuals based on iris patterns, scars, and other unique physical information. The database will be used to identify terrorists and criminals, as well as to inform employers who request notification whenever their employees undergo criminal background checks that reveal criminal history.
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DHS to Consolidate and Use Information Available
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Many departments within the U.S. government have already been performing background checks based on biometric information collected from various individuals, including millions of Iraqi and Afghan detainees, Iraqi citizens, and foreign nationals who need access to U.S. military bases, visitors to the U.S., and individuals applying for immigration benefits. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), for example, has millions of sets of fingerprints of individuals who have applied for admission to the U.S. or other immigration benefits. Currently, the tracking of terrorists and criminals based on this biometric information is not as fast and error-free as desired. If the new tracking system is successful, the biometric information will be collected and stored in one place, allowing for quicker and more efficient identification by all departments of the U.S. government.
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Conclusion
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The new comprehensive biometrics database and tracking system is still in the first stage of planning. Advocates emphasize the importance of a single storage place to be used by multiple agencies that will increase the speed at which criminals and terrorists are identified and caught. Critics, however, say that, because there is no evidence yet that the new system will reliably match terrorists and criminals against a vast database, it is premature to plan such a costly and comprehensive system. We at the Murthy Law Firm will watch for new developments and share updated information with our readers, as it becomes available.