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Face-Recognition Software Fingers Suspects

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the let's-face-it dept.

eldavojohn writes, "In Holyoke and Northampton, Massachusetts, the police have a new member on the team. It's facial recognition software that will mine the 9.5 million state license images of Massachusetts residents. From the article: 'Police Chief Anthony R. Scott said yesterday he will take advantage of the state's offer to tap into a computer system that can identify suspects through the Registry of Motor Vehicle's Facial Recognition System.' The kicker is that this system been in use since May and has been successful." An article from Iowa a few weeks back mentions that software from the same company (Digimark) is in use to catch potential fraud in applying for driver's licenses in Alabama, Colorado, Kansas, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Texas. But offering the software and photo database as a resource to police departments raises the stakes considerably. I wonder what the false positive rate is.

9 of 184 comments (clear)

  1. finger suspects ? by Monsieur_F · · Score: 5, Funny

    $ finger suspect
    finger: suspect: no such user.

    $ finger suspects
    finger: suspects: no such user.

    --
    McCartney fans pay bus tickets. [...] Lennon fans too, with discretion.
    1. Re:finger suspects ? by smittyoneeach · · Score: 4, Funny

      You, for one, have clearly ventured into Soviet Rootkit territory: your new PCI overlord welcomes you!

      --
      Get thee glass eyes, and, like a scurvy politician, seem to see things thou dost not.--King Lear
  2. Well... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Did the software at least buy them dinner first?

  3. Oh yeah? by slughead · · Score: 5, Funny

    Face-Recognition Software Fingers Suspects

    And what does it do if they're male?

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    Latewire
  4. Re:Ewwwww! by couchslug · · Score: 2, Funny

    Depend on the gents, thweetie!

    --
    "This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
  5. Good old SQL... by eyeball · · Score: 4, Funny

    Part of the SQL better include something like "... WHERE OCCUPATION IS NOT 'politician' " otherwise there's be total anarchy.

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    _______
    2B1ASK1
  6. I, for one, welcome our new CSI overlords! by `Sean · · Score: 5, Funny

    Finally! Inept police departments will be able to solve murders and other heinous crimes using awesome computer graphics in 47 minutes or less...just like on TV!

    Enhance...enhance...enhance...

    --
    PepperHacks - Hacking the Pepper Pad
  7. Re:False positive rate? by dekkerdreyer · · Score: 3, Funny

    "Round up twice the usual suspects!" - Louie Renault

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    Dekker Dreyer
  8. Re:Oh goodies by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Eric - now calm down, you've forgotten to take your meds again, haven't you?