WASHINGTON -- A government watchdog says the FBI has access to about 640 million photographs — including from driver's licenses, passports and mugshots — that can be searched using facial recognition technology.
The FBI maintains a database known as the Interstate Photo System of mugshots that can help federal, state and local law enforcement officials. It contains about 36 million photographs, according to Gretta Goodwin of the GAO. Kimberly Del Greco, a deputy assistant director at the FBI, said the bureau has strict policies for using facial recognition. She said it is used only when there is an active FBI investigation or an assessment, which can precede a formal investigation. When using the state databases, the FBI submits a so-called"probe photo" and then states conduct a search to yield a list of potential candidates to be reviewed by trained federal agents.
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