Topic: Facebook Biometrics

Facebook faces a massive class-action lawsuit in Illinois under the Biometric Information Privacy Act for harvesting face templates without written consent. While Mark Zuckerberg apologized to Congress for "missteps," his lawyers argue in court that users were not harmed by the facial tagging features.

The Department of Justice and federal agencies are reportedly using Facebook photos to populate a national biometric database for facial recognition. A separate legal battle between the DOJ and Apple involves the government's attempt to force the company to unlock a defendant's iPhone. The government argues that because the software is licensed rather than owned by the user, Apple must comply with warrants to bypass security.

The hosts discuss Facebook's $19 billion acquisition of WhatsApp, suggesting the high price tag is for the database of social relationships rather than advertising revenue. They also touch on the "war on passwords," criticizing the move toward biometric and centralized login systems like Google's Slick Login as a way to make user data more accessible to hackers and intelligence agencies.

The FBI is implementing a $1 billion facial recognition system that integrates with social networking sites and public surveillance cameras. Unlike traditional mugshot databases, this system uses APIs to query photos from platforms like Facebook to identify individuals.

The Department of Homeland Security is testing "Future Attribute Screening Technology" (FAST) to monitor body movements and breathing patterns. Simultaneously, the FBI's "Next Generation Identification" (NGI) system is expanding facial recognition capabilities. The hosts note the integration of "civil submissions," implying the use of Facebook photos for government databases.