FBI Preparing To Build World's Largest Biometrics Database

Washington Post   |  Ellen Nakashima   |   December 22, 2007 01:12 PM


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The FBI is embarking on a $1 billion effort to build the world's largest computer database of peoples' physical characteristics, a project that would give the government unprecedented abilities to identify individuals in the United States and abroad.

Digital images of faces, fingerprints and palm patterns are already flowing into FBI systems in a climate-controlled, secure basement here. Next month, the FBI intends to award a 10-year contract that would significantly expand the amount and kinds of biometric information it receives. And in the coming years, law enforcement authorities around the world will be able to rely on iris patterns, face-shape data, scars and perhaps even the unique ways people walk and talk, to solve crimes and identify criminals and terrorists. The FBI will also retain, upon request by employers, the fingerprints of employees who have undergone criminal background checks so the employers can be notified if employees have brushes with the law.

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Classic, what are these monkey's planning?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:50 PM on 12/23/2007

HOLY SCARY SH*T !!!
Not only does this infringe on our rights from a legal stand point but also from a biological stand point. Will these 'biometric' also include our genetic markers. Add that together with our weight, personal habits, regional environmental living conditions, economic standing..
The insurance companies can claim 'pre-existing condition'
Not to mention the other prejudical/irrational variables that can come into play.
the costs far out weigh the benefits.
This is a Human Rights issue, not a national security or law enforcement issue(except for invasion of privacy laws).

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:11 AM on 12/23/2007

Is this going to be like the last $100 million database they built, that did not work. It appears, under this administration, we seem to build bigger failures, just to line the pockets of the major contractors.
We still have not heard anything much about the last disaster. Sadly, OUR money will be poured into the toilet like most of the BIG efforts of this MIS-Admin.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:52 AM on 12/23/2007

There is hope!!! Look at the bright side!!! The Fumbling Bureau of Investigation has been responsible for the greatest information technology failures in history.

Here are a few of thousands of reference:

http://www.mrose.com.au/Software-Article.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/17/AR2006081701485_pf.html

http://govexec.com/dailyfed/1202/122002h2.htm

For more references refer to any number of professional technical journals.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 12:11 AM on 12/23/2007
- loki I'm a Fan of loki permalink
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I seem to recall a very long and expensive cold war against an certain governing ideology that did the same things our government is doing now.
I have to admit, our government seems to have learned a whole lot from all those years keeping Communist rule from invading out land. In fact, they have learned how to emulate it , without having to convert to it. Just keep calling it Democracy, and practice authoritarianism mixed in communism.
Yup, we've come a long way baby, and our past foe's must be laughing their asses off.

America, a country ruled by fear, controlled by greed.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:08 PM on 12/22/2007

Wow. Will anyone ever ask whether we'd rather live with a few criminals and terrorists among us - as we have done for thousands of years -than hand to the government our complete, entire privacy? To be kindly shared with our upstanding global corporations?

Sure, it's all so very voluntary now, but 10 years from now you simply won't be able to board a plane or enter a federal building if you refuse to have your iris scanned.

Are we supposed to congratulate the FBI for this? With the current notion that anyone who might be, or might happen to know, an enemy combatant (as defined by our fine President) should be pre-emptively detained without habeas corpus, even a 0.001% false reading should shut this whole system down for good, here, in Germany, and everywhere else.

If you don't think so, read the report of a pre-emptively detained, rendered, and tortured man refered to in http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-fisher/boeings-unfriendly-skies_b_77875.html

But sure as hell, there'll be people all for this because it might catch "criminals" and "terrorists" - as defined by who-ever.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:51 PM on 12/22/2007

The saddest thing about this story is that no matter who gets elected from either party the program will go on. When Hillary or whomever appoints their own domestic spy chief they will tell them to keep the program. It is important to note that the power to make decisions about Americans citizens records is given to employers. It shows who the people we are allowed to choose from really serve.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:41 PM on 12/22/2007
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The FBI can suck it. And that's the one way they can find out how big it is.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:57 PM on 12/22/2007

1984 is coming, only the original date was off by a few decades.

Will Ted Kennedy agian be refused access, or with a bigger database, how many more of use will be confused with others.

The spies (inept tho they be) are stealing both our freedom and out money.

How do the individuals running for office feel about this added intrusion?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:47 PM on 12/22/2007

FBI, don't forget to include in your database detailed characteristics of what fascist criminal assholes look like. You can start by using the assholes of Cheney, Bush and Rove for starters.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:39 PM on 12/22/2007
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A group of current and former Republicunt officials, led by Larry Craig and Tim Foley, applauded the FBI's use of bio-technology to fight terrorism. They urged law enforcement to broaden the database to include other unique characteristics of the human body. Although it's not yet scientifically proven, they claim the male scrotum is an individually recognizable part of the human body and that they can identify people from as far as ten feet away just by glimpsing their nutsack.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 04:05 PM on 12/22/2007

And who is this "contractor"? What are their ties with Bush-Cheny? One small step at a time, one small chink pried out of our rights and liberties. Can you argue against law enforcement these days with out being branded terrorist/insurgent/traitor/etc? Best you don't argue for our Country or Constitution.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:22 PM on 12/22/2007

East German communism/fascism, metastasizing like a cancer throughout our government (note the word "stasi" in that word).

Erich Honecker would be proud.

I'm sure with outsourcing that data to some company, it will all be so safe and secure (sarcasm).

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:53 PM on 12/22/2007
- AKJM I'm a Fan of AKJM permalink
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Where did this come from Mukasey ( he does favor Himmler) or bored computer geeks.

It"s time for members of Congress and their aids to submit to random drug testing.

No doubt this will be another measure for the little people.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:53 PM on 12/22/2007
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