The FBI has said its facial-recognition technology is a critical component of fighting the war on terror and other serious threats.
But new records indicate the technology could fail 20% of the time, the National Journal reports.
“An innocent person may become part of an investigation because the technology isn’t completely accurate,” said Jeramie Scott, an attorney with EPIC who reviewed the documents, citing the Boston Marathon bombings as an example. “They’re pushing it forward even though the technology isn’t ready for prime time.”
The FBI could’t be reached for comment.
The technology is part of the FBI’s Next Generation Identification program, which includes iris and fingerprint scans.
