New US Passport ID Technology Has High Error Rate

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Richard Forno <rforno () infowarrior org>
Date: August 6, 2004 8:22:46 AM EDT
To: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Subject: New US Passport ID Technology Has High Error Rate



Here is yet another example of security theater (the illusion of  
effective
or enhanced security) being pursued as a matter of national security --  
in
this case, an unbelievable 50% error rate in the security technology  
being
implemented is deemed acceptable enough by the US government to track
passports.

-rick
Infowarrior.org


Passport ID Technology Has High Error Rate
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A43944-2004Aug5? 
language=printer

By Jonathan Krim
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, August 6, 2004; Page A01

The State Department is moving ahead with a plan to implant electronic
identification chips in U.S. passports that will allow computer  
matching of
facial characteristics, despite warnings that the technology is prone  
to a
high rate of error.

Federal researchers, academics, industry experts and some privacy  
advocates
say the government should instead use more-reliable fingerprints to help
thwart potential terrorists.

The enhanced U.S. passports, scheduled to be issued next spring for  
people
obtaining new or renewed passports, will be the first to include what is
known as biometric information. Such data, which can be a fingerprint, a
picture of parts of eyes or of facial characteristics, is used to verify
identity and help prevent forgery.

Under State Department specifications finalized this month for  
companies to
bid on the new system, a chip woven into the cover of the passport would
contain a digital photograph of the traveler's face. That photo could  
then
be compared with an image of the traveler taken at the passport control
station, and also matched against photos of people on government watch
lists.

The department chose face recognition to be consistent with standards  
being
adopted by other nations, officials said. Those who drafted the  
standards
reasoned that travelers are accustomed to submitting photographs and  
would
find giving fingerprints to be intrusive.

But federal researchers who have tested face-recognition technology say  
its
error rate is unacceptably high -- up to 50 percent if photographs are  
taken
without proper lighting. They say the error rate is far lower for
fingerprints, which could be added to the chip without violating the
international standard.

< snip >

The concerns come at a time of heightened terrorism alerts and urgent  
calls
for changes in national security from the commission investigating the  
Sept.
11, 2001, attacks. Among its many recommendations were quick adoption of
biometric passports and more secure drivers' licenses, though the  
commission
did not specify which type of data should be used.

< snip >

"Facial recognition isn't going to do it for us at large scale," Wayman
said. "If there's a 10 percent error rate with 300 people on a 747,  
that's a
problem."

According to tests by the National Institute for Standards and  
Technology,
two fingerprints provide an accuracy rate of 99.6 percent. With face
recognition, if the pictures are taken under controlled circumstances  
with
proper illumination, angles and facial expression, the accuracy rate  
was 90
percent.

< snip >

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