Privacy of biometric data in US govt agency’s hands in doubt, official says

A patch is seen on the sleeve of a US Customs and Border Protection officer as he uses facial recognition technology in his booth at Miami International Airport to screen a traveller entering the US in Miami, Florida. — TNS

WASHINGTON: An inspector general’s report is casting doubt on the US Department of Homeland Security’s ability to protect its massive repository of personal data from hackers amid a push by the Trump administration to vastly expand its collection of biometrics through the use of facial recognition and other tools.

The report, released by the DHS inspector general’s office on Sept 23, found that US Customs and Border Protection failed to protect a collection of 184,000 facial images of cross-border travellers prior to a massive data breach last year. At least 19 of the images, which were collected through a pilot programme at the Anzalduas Port of Entry in Texas, were later posted on the dark web.