FBI launches $1 billion identification program

You know, for the longest time, I was starting to wonder whether fingerprinting suspects would be here to stay for good in the crime fighting world, and thankfully, my train of thought is broken with word that the FBI will be launching a $1 billion project which will allow criminal searches as well as accurate identifications to be performed thanks to updated technologies – where a wide range of biometrics will play its role, too. There is one piece of bad news to the entire situation though, and privacy advocates are the ones championing it – at what price does vigilance on civilians stop?

After all, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and humans in a computer system are the weak link. Just like the Great Wall of China that saw its border guards bribed to send the barbarian horde in, how can such a system remain free from abuse? FBI will forge ahead though, calling the $1 billion project the Next Generation Identification (NGI) program. It will encompass facial recognition, iris scans, DNA analysis and voice identification, aided by latent and rolled fingerprints and palm prints. Looks like eternal vigilance being the price to pay for freedom has never rung truer. What do you think of this project?

Edwin Kee
Categories: Computers
Tags: fbi