Utah officials are denying reports from the Washington Post and New York Times that they’ve given FBI and ICE authorities permission to “mine” the state’s database of driver license photos.
And they’re not just doing it for the feds. The Utah Department of Public Safety confirmed that it has been doing 18 searches a week — mostly for Utah law enforcement. The department says it insists on law enforcement having an active case, including a case number, before performing such searches.
"Governor Herbert believes in respecting the privacy of Utah residents and he is committed to ensuring that Utah’s facial recognition system will only be used for law enforcement purposes and never against law abiding Utahns," the governor's office said in a statement.