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100 Arrested In New York Thanks To Better Face-Recognition Technology (arstechnica.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the looking-guilty dept.

New York doubled the number of "measurement points" used by their facial recognitation technology this year, leading to 100 arrests for fraud and identity theft, plus another 900 open cases. An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: In all, since New York implemented facial recognition technology in 2010, more than 14,000 people have been hampered trying to get multiple licenses. The newly upgraded system increases the measurement points of a driver's license picture from 64 to 128.

The DMV said this vastly improves its chances of matching new photographs with one already in a database of 16 million photos... "Facial recognition plays a critical role in keeping our communities safer by cracking down on individuals who break the law," Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said in a statement. "New York is leading the nation with this technology, and the results from our use of this enhanced technology are proof positive that its use is vital in making our roads safer and holding fraudsters accountable."
At least 39 US states use some form of facial recognition software, and New York says their new system also "removes high-risk drivers from the road," stressing that new licenses will no longer be issued until a photo clears their database.

44 of 85 comments (clear)

  1. I don't feel safer by amiga3D · · Score: 2

    It's true they can use this technology for good but you know it'll be abused to hell and back. Safer? Very little but certainly much less free.

    1. Re:I don't feel safer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Once thieves start wearing masks, the only use of facial recognition will be to track non-criminals -- it's actual intended use!

    2. Re:I don't feel safer by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Once thieves start wearing masks, the only use of facial recognition will be to track non-criminals

      RTFA. The main use of this tech (so far) is to prevent people from getting additional drivers licenses under false names. You can't wear a mask while getting your DL photo. Another common use of facial recognition is to identify people that have warrants while they are in public places. Actually identifying a perp in the process of committing a crime is much less common, and is not what this system is designed to do.

    3. Re:I don't feel safer by GerryGilmore · · Score: 1

      And the paranoia begins....Nothing useful can be done with technology because: Gummint! Sheesh!!

    4. Re: I don't feel safer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      That's not Sharia Law that allows you to wear a mask. That's the first amendment.

    5. Re:I don't feel safer by GerryGilmore · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I call 100% Organic, dolphin-free Bullshit! Name one place in America where you are allowed to have your DL photo taken while wearing a mask because of SHARIA!! (Boogety-boogety...) You can't, because your paranoia has you blinded.

    6. Re:I don't feel safer by ganjadude · · Score: 1

      lets be honest though, you know damn well thats the end goal. minority report

      in all seriousness, this is actually a good use of it

      --
      have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
    7. Re:I don't feel safer by chill · · Score: 4, Informative

      Fine, then name one country. Even Saudi Arabia makes women remove their veils for State ID photos.

      --
      Learning HOW to think is more important than learning WHAT to think.
    8. Re:I don't feel safer by mysidia · · Score: 1

      You can't wear a mask while getting your DL photo.

      No... you can't appear to be wearing a mask. If your mask is realistic enough to fool people and machines into thinking you're not wearing a mask, then you can probably still get your DL photo.

    9. Re: I don't feel safer by Megane · · Score: 2

      A DL is a privilege, not a right. The state can express itself by refusing to give you a DL if you refuse to take a picture without stuff covering your face.

      --
      #naabhaprzrag, #sverubfr-000, #agi-fcbafberq, negvpyr[pynff*=' negvpyr-ary-'] { qvfcynl: abar !vzcbegnag; }
    10. Re:I don't feel safer by Plumpaquatsch · · Score: 1

      I was talking about sharia law.

      The only one who can't have his photo taken due to Sharia law is the Prophet Mohammed.

      --
      Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
    11. Re: I don't feel safer by chuckugly · · Score: 1

      I think it's OK to keep the "trope" since we're living in the age of Uber and on the verge of self driven cars anyway.

    12. Re: I don't feel safer by chuckugly · · Score: 1

      There is no privacy in public, never has been. What we are on the verge of losing is the near anonymity of living in a large faceless city, and I'm OK with losing that.

  2. Because everyone driving has a license. by 0100010001010011 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    its use is vital in making our roads safer

    and New York says their new system also "removes high-risk drivers from the road," stressing that new licenses will no longer be issued until a photo clears their database.

    Because no one has ever driven without a license. Especially those 'high risk drivers'.

    1. Re:Because everyone driving has a license. by GNious · · Score: 1

      So now we need to retrofit all cars with card-readers and cell-transceivers, so the car can verify that you have a valid license before starting.... Simples!

    2. Re: Because everyone driving has a license. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      There is still a useful difference between no one and fewer.

    3. Re:Because everyone driving has a license. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      "Welcome on board Mr. Dallas.. You have five points left on your license."

    4. Re:Because everyone driving has a license. by mysidia · · Score: 1

      Because no one has ever driven without a license. Especially those 'high risk drivers'.

      Probably in the next few decades car manufacturers will have to implement a new standard, where to drive your car, there's a "slot" you have to insert your driver's license in, and a computer in your vehicle will verify the status of your license and your facial ID before allowing you to take the vehicle out of park.

    5. Re:Because everyone driving has a license. by phorm · · Score: 1

      "removes high-risk drivers from the road"

      Well, presumably applying for a false identification would be a criminal violation, so going to jail would remove one from the road...

  3. 100 Arrested? by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 1

    Did those 100 arrested people crash their cars at a statistically significantly higher rate than the population of 'normally' licensed people?

    If not, what was the benefit?

    --
    I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
    1. Re:100 Arrested? by SeaFox · · Score: 1

      Well the summary talks about people trying to get "multiple licenses", so I wouldn't assume car crashes was involved here. Sounds like people trying to get IDs under false identities being caught at the DMV. It's a time they would be required to make their face fully exposed for a government camera with good lighting and view of their features.

    2. Re:100 Arrested? by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Can you Provide legitimate reasons a person should be able to get multiple drivers licenses?

      I don't have a problem with this specific situation - in isolation. I do, however, see a huge (and inevitable) problem with overreach and abuse, since the powers that be will obviously see this as "useful" data not being mined to its full potential. Doesn't New York have surveillance cameras all over the bloody place - including wifi hotspots?

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    3. Re:100 Arrested? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      They will not see this as an opportunity, they CREATED that "opportunity", and get away with it because people like you think installing face-recognition technology to constantly scan everybody is an acceptable measure to find 100 petty criminals out of millions of people.

    4. Re:100 Arrested? by MindPrison · · Score: 1

      100 people extra to fill the already overfilled prison population industry, yes...I wrote industry.

      Oh, and everything we write in here (slashdot.org is also social media) will now be subject to scrutiny the next time we visit the U.S. So I'll probably be apprihended for what I just wrote here. Oh heck, the way it's going over there...I might not apply for a Green Card anymore, I'm happy here in Scandinavia. *(Still love American citzens though).

      --
      What this world is coming to - is for you and me to decide.
    5. Re:100 Arrested? by ChoGGi · · Score: 1

      Getting arrested doesn't mean going to prison.

  4. Big data is gonna kill small crime by rsilvergun · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'm seeing this is just about every form of crime outside of petty theft among the poor (e.g. when they keep it in their own neighborhood so nobody can be arsed to investigate). Give it another 10-20 years and the only crimes left will be the occasional breakin at some poor slobs apartment that nets $100 bucks worth of junk, a few crimes of passion and the legal crime Wallstreet does because we don't have the bollocks to regulate anymore.

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
    1. Re:Big data is gonna kill small crime by SeattleLawGuy · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I'm seeing this is just about every form of crime outside of petty theft among the poor (e.g. when they keep it in their own neighborhood so nobody can be arsed to investigate). Give it another 10-20 years and the only crimes left will be the occasional breakin at some poor slobs apartment that nets $100 bucks worth of junk, a few crimes of passion and the legal crime Wallstreet does because we don't have the bollocks to regulate anymore.

      "A few" crimes of passion? Spend one day in a courtroom listening to domestic violence cases. Big data can help fight crime, but crime isn't going away without more profound societal changes. Fundamentally, we need to create enough legal opportunity for everyone, we need to raise people better, we need to provide much better social training to everyone, and that's just a part of it. Big data can help with that, but it's not going to magically "solve" crime by helping you arrest people.

      --
      Real lawyers write in C++
    2. Re:Big data is gonna kill small crime by smooth+wombat · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Because the multiple trillions of dollars we've already spent trying to instill common sense into people, the multitude of social programs designed to try and help people get jobs or a roof over their head, the grants or subsidies to help people start their own businesses and all the other programs who in one way or another have tried to set people on the correct path to life have worked so well we should spend trillions more.

      The easiest way to reduce the prison population and those committing repeat crimes is to execute people. Domestic violence. Gone. You don't beat the crap out the woman (or man) you're living with and think that's acceptable.

      You don't have multiple crimes against you before you're 18 then get a free pass to start the process over. Rapes, child molestation/rape, recidivists, murderers in general, gone.

      Clean out the system instead of coddling and you will see a dramatic improvement in society. With the criminals gone, who will commit the crimes?

      --
      We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
    3. Re:Big data is gonna kill small crime by known_coward_69 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      people will find something else. in the 80's it was almost guaranteed that your car would be stolen or your stereo ripped out. the car makers fixed that. back then it was almost guaranteed that you would be mugged on the streets of NYC.

      now petty criminals do digital scams. once that goes away they will find something else as organized crime adapts and the rank and file employees learn new skills

    4. Re:Big data is gonna kill small crime by oic0 · · Score: 1

      Thats basically like trying to force the effects of eugenics without having actual eugenics. Its not easy to modify instinctual behavior that easily. You can force it if you try hard enough, but you end up with an awfully oppressive society to achieve it. Might as well just go ahead with actual eugenics, just approach it from a positive reward system rather than a negative.

    5. Re:Big data is gonna kill small crime by BlueStrat · · Score: 1, Informative

      Might as well just go ahead with actual eugenics, just approach it from a positive reward system rather than a negative.

      Done and done!

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      78% of PP clinics located in predominantly black neighborhoods, blacks ~12% of total US population but ~35% of total PP abortions. Margaret Sanger gave talks at KKK gatherings and was highly praised for her work by the KKK.

      They seem to want to cover all the bases.

      Strat

      --
      Progressivism (aka US 'Liberalism'): Ideas so good they need a police/surveillance-state to enforce.
  5. Its about "fraud and identity theft" by drnb · · Score: 1

    Did those 100 arrested people crash their cars at a statistically significantly higher rate than the population of 'normally' licensed people? If not, what was the benefit?

    From the first sentence of the summary: "leading to 100 arrests for fraud and identity theft, plus another 900 open cases." The benefit is not letting an identity thief get a valid official identification card from the government.

  6. So now ... by ve3oat · · Score: 2

    we'll have the same problem with facial recognition and licenses as we do with names on the "no fly" list.

    "that new licenses will no longer be issued until a photo clears their database."

  7. In no way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Could that backfire.

  8. Marriage or transgender? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Can you Provide legitimate reasons a person should be able to get multiple drivers licenses?

    Here are two good ones:
    1) transgender person preparing for transition should be able to get a new license for their post-transition gender with gender-appropriate name
    2) person who has legally changed their name should be able to get a new license with their new name

    The facial recognition system will auto-flag both of these cases as potential identity theft and delay issuance of the license longer than necessary. The live DMV official where these folks applied for their second license would have been able to immediately inspect the legal documents establishing that this is not identity theft, but the facial recognition system won't care and will unreasonably prevent immediate issuance of the license.

    Because the DMV now screws over trans and non-trans equally on name changes I'd bet they're on safe legal ground but it's bad political optics in someplace as liberal as NYC.

    1. Re:Marriage or transgender? by knorthern+knight · · Score: 3, Insightful

      > Here are two good ones:
      > 1) transgender person preparing for transition should be able to get a new
      > license for their post-transition gender with gender-appropriate name
      2) person who has legally changed their name should be able to get a new license with their new name

      Errrr, uhmmm; A person comes in with a valid driver's licence under name "A", *AND TURNS IT IN TO BE REPLACED* with a driver's licence under name "B" is not a problem. It's the people who've had their licence taken away for DWI, or who want to fraudulently pose as somebody else that are the problem.

      --

      I'm not repeating myself
      I'm an X window user; I'm an ex-Windows user
    2. Re:Marriage or transgender? by jezwel · · Score: 1
      Both of these cases are already met using official documentation (like a doctors cert. or marriage licence) and the appropriate 'change of name' form, where the reason is selected by the DMV officer in the registration and licensing system, which will automatically cancel the dual-identity flag by the facial recognition system.
      In my (non-US) country, drivers licences are not issued on the spot, so you would retain your old licence until the new licence is received. This 'dual licence, dual name' setup is catered for in the system.

      Source: works in a Transport department that maintains a custom registration and drivers licence system.

    3. Re:Marriage or transgender? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Not all transgender people have surgery.

      And for those who do, most doctors require them to live as their new gender for two years before they can have surgery. Part of that is getting a new license.

      So yes, you're being a transphobe.

  9. Wow, I feel safer already /sarcasm by BlytheBowman · · Score: 1

    I am more nervous about the cops/gov't than a punk on the street. The punk on the street typicaly does not have a huge military (style and defacto) force backing him up, even if he is in a gang, and usualy he just wants my money. If it went further, usualy he would just shoot me dead on the spot, instead of locking me in a tiny windowless cell for years or decades on end, escorting me everywhere in shackles, and better yet tying me down in a restraint chair while blasting my face with pepper spray, sticking hoods and masks over my face if I dare slip, or go insane under the conditions of solitary confinement, and doing everything to prevent suicide to escape this torture. And I am a law-abiding citizen. Yes, the "good guys" scare me more than the "bad guys".

  10. Can you say... by spaceman375 · · Score: 1

    False positive? What is the rate of misidentifying two people who look alike as being the same? How do they plan to deal with this? It could be seriously problematic for the victims of such a mistake, worse than erroneously being on the no-fly list.

    --
    On the one hand you take life too seriously, and on the other, you do not take playful existence seriously enough. Seth
    1. Re:Can you say... by gnasher719 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      False positive? What is the rate of misidentifying two people who look alike as being the same? How do they plan to deal with this? It could be seriously problematic for the victims of such a mistake, worse than erroneously being on the no-fly list.

      There was a report of twins applying for a learner's permit at the same time running into problems, so this can happen.

      Applying for a second license under a false name seems to happen when the first license has lots of unpaid fines and/or the license is revoked. So if A has a perfectly fine license, and B applies for a license and happens to look exactly like A, this would look a lot less suspicious. Should be fine to give B his license and then investigate. On the other hand, if A's license is revoked, then this is more suspicious and more risky. The first idea would be to contact both A and B, and if they can both be contacted, it should be possibly to prove they are different. If A cannot be contacted, that makes it a bit tougher. You would ask B for evidence that he has existed for some time.

      There's a difference to the no-fly list: That gets people into trouble at the airport, with very little time to sort out any problems.

  11. Now all we need are more laws by Tokolosh · · Score: 1, Informative

    With arrests and incarceration increasing, we will run out of criminals on the lam. Time to pass new laws.

    Ten felonies a day, or bust!

    http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB...

    --
    Prove anything by multiplying Huge Number times Tiny Number
  12. False positive rate by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    What is the false positive rate for that 14,000?

    Maybe 14,000 is a bureaucratic nightmare for each one of those 14,000 selected.

    14000 denied? Success!

  13. 1984 has arrived by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    It took them a while longer than expected, but it has arrived. CCTVs, facial recognition, tracking, recording, perpetual wars, secret prisons and extra judicial punishment. Truth and facts are replaced by entertainment and lies, "history" as taught is a bunch of lies and congealed propaganda, everyone is a suspect and it's better to punish 100 innocents than letting one guilty escape.

    Welcome to our bright new world, the one where Hitler personally failed, but his ideas won on walk over.