Feds Planning To Use Biometrics At Canada-US Border
(National Observer, Jun 08, 2021)
Canada's border agency has an "urgent need" to hire a global technology firm to help develop a biometric strategy in response to rapidly evolving issues including COVID-19. The Canada Border Services Agency issued a notice of procurement Monday inviting 15 firms to submit proposals for immediately setting up an Office of Biometrics and Identity Management.
Europe’s AI Rules Open Door To Mass Use Of Facial Recognition, Critics Warn
(Politico, Jun 08, 2021)
The EU is facing a backlash over new AI rules that allow for limited use of facial recognition by authorities — with opponents warning the carveouts could usher in a new age of biometric surveillance. A coalition of digital rights and consumer protection groups across the globe, including Latin America, Africa and Asia are calling for a global ban on biometric recognition technologies that enable mass and discriminatory surveillance by both governments and corporations. In an open letter, 170 signatories in 55 countries argue that the use of technologies like facial recognition in public places goes against human rights and civil liberties. “It shows that organizations, groups, people, activists, technologists around the world who are concerned with human rights, agree to this call,” said Daniel Leufer of U.S. digital rights group Access Now, which co-authored the letter.
McDonald's Is Being Sued By a Customer Over Its Latest Technology
(Eat This, Jun 08, 2021)
McDonald's latest tech upgrade which uses artificial intelligence could vastly improve the efficiency of the chain's drive-thru in the future. But some customers aren't thrilled by the prospect of placing their orders through an automated system that ends up collecting voice data without their consent. The chain's CEO Chris Kempczinski recently said that the company is testing new voice-recognition technology at several Chicago-area restaurants. Besides eliminating the need for human employees, the AI could improve the speed and accuracy of drive-thru orders. However, Kempczinski noted a systemwide rollout is still a ways away.
New DHS Biometric System Plans To Begin Operating In Late 2021, GAO Says
(Defense Daily, Jun 08, 2021)
A next-generation biometric collection and matching system originally planned to begin operating in 2018 and be fully implemented in 2021 is currently expected to begin deployment this December, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) says in a new report.
Investor Group Calls For Rigorous Due Diligence Policies On Facial Recognition
(Find Biometrics, Jun 08, 2021)
Investor Group Calls For Rigorous Due Diligence Policies On Facial Recognition June 8, 2021 Investor Group Calls For Rigorous Due Diligence Policies On Facial Recognition A group of 50 institutional investors with $4.5 trillion in assets under management (as of December of 2020) is calling for more rigorous human rights and due diligence policies for companies involved in facial recognition technology. It’s an initiative that was first launched by Candriam, a subsidiary of New York Life, in March of this year. Now, a number of other high-profile investment firms are on board, including Aviva Investors and BMO Asset Management, among others.
Things Go From Bad To Worse For Chinese Surveillance Giants In U.S.
(Security Infowatch, Jun 08, 2021)
If you thought a change in presidential administrations would result in the federal government taking a softer stance on Hikvision and Dahua, the world’s two largest video surveillance equipment manufacturers, then you would be mistaken. If anything, the Biden administration has ratcheted up the pressure on these companies and could further hamper their U.S. operations.
Report: Biden Administration Uses Face-recognition App To Track Asylum Seekers
(The New America, Jun 08, 2021)
The Biden administration is adopting controversial facial-recognition technology and other intrusive surveillance tools to process the backlog of thousands of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a new report. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has distributed an app called “CBP One,” which uses facial-recognition technology to compare photos of migrants with various refugee databases, wrote the Los Angeles Times on Friday. Citing CBP legal disclosures and interviews with privacy analysts, the Times reported that in addition to tracking faces, the app uses geolocation and cloud technology to create databases of personal data that can be accessed by other law-enforcement agencies and stored for up to 75 years,
