Biometric database of the FBI

The FBI has announced it plans to assemble the world's largest biometric database, nicknamed the Next Generation Identification system. Currently, the FBI stores fingerprints, facial features, and palm print characteristics at its facilities in Washington DC. The agency's $1 billion dollar database, however, will hold far more information on any given person. Moving forward, the FBI expects to make this comprehensive biometric database available to a wide variety of federal, state, and local agencies, all in the name of keeping American safe from terrorists (and illegal immigration). The FBI also intends to retain (upon employer request) the fingerprints of any employee who has undergone a criminal background check, and will inform the employer if the employee is ever arrested or charged with a crime. Lofty goals are one thing, practical implementation is another. The biometric database the FBI envisions will rely heavily on real-time (or very nearly real-time) comparisons. According to the Washington Post, this could include general face recognition, specific feature comparison (notable scars, shape of the earlobe, etc.), walking stride, speech patterns, and iris comparisons. To date, facial-recognition technology hasn't exactly reshaped the face of law enforcement. A German study last year showed some progress in the technology�existing implementations proved more than 60 percent effective during the day�but accuracy fell to 10 to 20 percent at night. German law ...