In the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks, U.S. leaders are searching for ways to enhance our security while preserving our indispensable freedom. One method being pursued to improve our security posture is the face-recognition technology aspect of biometrics. Although our country has traditionally demanded that civil rights take precedence over privacy intrusions, a recent New York Times poll reveals that 80% of Americans believe they will soon have to sacrifice some of their civil rights to make the country safe from terrorist attacks. The question remains: will those sacrifices yield any benefits?
One company on the cutting edge of face-recognition development is Visionics, a New Jersey company that sent an e-mail message to reporters on the afternoon of September 11 announcing that its C.E.O., Joseph Atick, has been proclaiming the need for biometric support to counter terrorism. Just nine days later, Atick testified before a special government committee, formed by Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta in response to the terrorist attacks. Atick conveyed his belief that that face-recognition technology in airports and embassies could improve security. He proposed a national surveillance plan called Operation Noble Shield, which was greeted enthusiastically by committee members. Atick's plan calls for approximately 300 cameras at each airport which would snap photographs of people standing in lines to purchase tickets, pass through medal detectors, pay for items in restaurants or stores, and board planes. The pictures will be compared in real time to those in a database.
Visionics face-recognition software, FaceIt, operates by creating identification codes based on the unique aspects of a person's face. The codes are translated into a matrix that is compared to matrices in a database, and similarity scores are generated. A recent Department of Defense (DoD) test showed FaceIt to be accurate just 55 percent of the time. Atick, however, contends that these statistics would serve as a sufficient deterrent, claiming "terrorists aren't going to spend five years planning a mission if they have a 50 to 80 percent chance of getting caught." A DoD study is currently underway to initiate proposals for applications of FaceIt. The 143 percent gain in Visonics stock during the week that trading resumed after the terrorist attacks indicates that financial markets anticipate public acceptance and encouragement of this technology.
Although the immediate response to the September 11 attacks initiated a reevaluation of our privacy policies, face-recognition does have a number of obstacles to overcome. The civil rights violations of freedom and privacy will be difficult to assess and control. There is also great potential for abuse of such a system. In the United Kingdom, cameras form a so-called "ring of steel" across the country and the average citizen is estimated to have their picture taken over 300 times in a single day. Critics of face-recognition technology also condemn it as a tool used to measure social conformity rather than fight terrorism. There are numerous controversial issues that will require resolution, including: database composition, types of criminal acts to monitor, and rights of individuals or agencies to make and control such decisions. Ultimately we will have to decide if the insecurity that terrorists forced upon us will revolutionize our civil liberties.
RELATED LINKS:
New York Times Magazine article
DoD Facial Recognition website
