CYBERSECURITY: ACLU files lawsuit challenging federal law enforcement

CYBERSECURITY: ACLU Challenges FBI Face Recognition Secrecy
By: PR Channel Team
Malaga Technology Centre

The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Massachusetts today filed a lawsuit challenging the secrecy shrouding federal law enforcement use of face recognition surveillance technology. The lawsuit was filed against the Department of Justice, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the FBI.

“There can be no accountability if there is no transparency,” said Kade Crockford, Director of the Technology for Liberty Program at the ACLU of Massachusetts. “The public has a right to know when, where, and how law enforcement agencies are using face recognition technology, and what
safeguards, if any, are in place to protect our rights. This dystopian surveillance technology threatens to fundamentally alter our free society into one where we’re treated as suspects to be tracked and monitored by the government 24/7.”

The ACLU in January filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the FBI and DEA seeking records related to the agencies’ use of face and other biometric surveillance technologies. The agencies acknowledged receipt of the request, but failed to produce any responsive documents.