Privacy Advocates Push for Government-Wide Facial Recognition Restrictions

AI (Artificial Inteligence) security cameras with facial recognition technology are seen at the 14th China International Exhibition on Public Safety and Security at the China International Exhibition Center in Beijing on Oct. 24, 2018. Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images

After a recent successful campaign for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to dump its facial recognition program, privacy activists are now turning their attention to other agencies that use the technology.

Reports last month of IRS requirements for taxpayers to upload selfies for an identity verification program run through ID.me prompted immediate backlash from public interest groups and lawmakers from both parties. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) urged the IRS to discontinue the service, while Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) demanded a comprehensive ban on the IRS’s use of such biometric data collection. A number of public interest groups, including the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and Media Alliance, joined the calls for the IRS to abandon its plan.