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In this episode, Aaron Mak talks about federal law enforcement’s use of facial-recognition technology with Jake Laperruque. Laperruque is senior counsel at the Constitution Project, which is part of the Project on Government Oversight. According to the Washington Post, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and FBI officials have been partnering with state DMVs to scan through millions of driver’s license photos. Laperruque explains the civil liberties implications of the practice and suggests regulations that might provide some level of oversight.
After the interview, Aaron talks to Slate’s own Shannon Palus for this week’s edition of Don’t Close My Tabs.
Stories discussed on the show:
• Washington Post: “FBI, ICE Find State Driver’s License Photos Are a Gold Mine for Facial Recognition Searches”
Don’t Close My Tabs:
Aaron: “Genetic ancestry testing among white nationalists”
Shannon: “A dancing cockatoo named Snowball learned 14 moves all by his little bird self, researchers say”
Podcast production by Cameron Drews.
You can follow Aaron @aaronmak. If you have a question or comment, you can email us at ifthen@slate.com.
If Then is presented by Slate and Future Tense, a collaboration among Arizona State University, New America, and Slate. Future Tense explores the ways emerging technologies affect society, policy, and culture. To read more, follow us on Twitter and sign up for our weekly newsletter.
