The FBI and Department of Defense have been exposed for secretly developing a facial recognition system for the purpose of mass surveillance on Americans, according to a report from the ACLU. Documents obtained by the ACLU and handed over to the Washington Post reveal that the Pentagon worked with FBI scientists to create software that could quickly identify individuals through “truly unconstrained face imagery” recorded by public surveillance cameras.
Project Janus: Testing the Limits of Surveillance
The project, known as Janus, involved a data-gathering test in 2017, where volunteers acted out scenarios in a training facility designed to resemble real-life situations such as a school, subway station, outdoor marketplace, and a hospital. The test produced thousands of surveillance videos and images, some captured by drones.
Janus officially ended in 2020, but its work was integrated into Horus, a web-based interface made available to the Pentagon’s Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office. This office provides military technology to civilian police forces.
Facial Recognition Technology: A Threat to Privacy
The facial recognition technology is part of a larger FBI surveillance database, Next Generation Identification, which holds fingerprints, palm prints, face photos, and eye patterns from millions of individuals who applied for citizenship, were booked into jail, or underwent job background checks.
The FBI signed a $120,000 contract with Clearview AI earlier this year, a facial recognition company that obtained its software by illegally scraping millions of social media photos. This means that it’s highly likely that your social media photos are being used by the FBI to develop its technology.
Wray’s Worry: The FBI Director’s Double Standard
FBI Director Chris Wray expressed concern in January that the Chinese government could develop mass surveillance technology like what his bureau already has. However, the FBI and Department of Defense have been caught red-handed in their own massive facial recognition scheme.
The use of facial recognition technology for mass surveillance raises serious questions about privacy and the violation of individual rights. The FBI’s actions are a threat to the fundamental principles of democracy and freedom.
The FBI and Department of Defense must be held accountable for their actions and the public must demand an end to these practices. The future of privacy and freedom is at stake.