The FBI’s is embarking of a massive biometric information gathering program to beef up its databases. For some it is an invasion of privacy.
There are many kinds of databases that are used for identification in crime prevention like the well known super databases - VICAP and CODIS.
We know that forensic science wouldn’t be the same without all these vast databanks, even ones of sneakers and of tire prints and toolmarks. They are all essential in crime scene processing.
But now, I think the FBI is going a bit overboard. In a recent report from Clarkesburg, West Virginia, the FBI said that it is gearing up to create a massive computer database of people's physical characteristics, all part of its effort to better identify criminals and terrorists.
Civil liberties experts agree with me that the people of America should be very afraid!
Biometric Information Database
According to CNN.com/technology, the bureau is expected to announce in coming days the awarding of a $1 billion, 10-year contract to help create the database that will compile an array of biometric information - from palm prints to eye scans.
The FBI wants to add all this additional information to its 55 million sets of fingerprints on file. In coming years, the bureau wants to compare palm prints, scars and tattoos, iris eye patterns, and facial shapes. The idea is to combine various pieces of biometric information to positively identify a potential suspect.
Civil Liberties Experts Say No
While law enforcement officials think this is a good idea, many people are not so happy with so much personal information being collected by the FBI.
It's the beginning of the surveillance society where you can be tracked anywhere, any time and all your movements, and eventually all your activities will be tracked and noted and correlated," said Barry Steinhardt, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Technology and Liberty Project.
