The Department of Motor Vehicles in Rhode Island is employing a facial recognition-based system in its license and identification card issuance programs in an effort to curb identity fraud, according to a Turn to 10 article.

The system the DMV utilizes is can compare all the photos taken for state-issued ID cards and run them through the face recognition software to check if individual’s have more than one licenes under different names.

Despite DMV and law enforcement officials finding the system to be a useful tool in curbing crime, it has caught the attention of privacy advocates such as the American Civil Liberties Union who worry the use of facial recognition biometrics with all stored state ID pictures could be an invasion of privacy.

Despite the worries, the DMV maintains that the program is only used when fraud is suspected, depends on final human assessment and doesn’t result in any automatic suspensions or prosecutions that could result in an innocent person losing driving or other legal privileges.

Read the full story here.

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