Biometrics Firm Drops Facial Scan Proviso From ID Verification Software

Biometrics firm ID.me is dropping the facial recognition component of its identity verification software used by a host of states and federal agencies.

As The Washington Post reported Wednesday (Feb. 9), the move represents a significant reversal, coming in the wake of backlash regarding privacy concerns and the accuracy of the facial recognition technology.

The decision follows one earlier this week from the Internal Revenue Service said it would not be using ID.me’s facial recognition system to confirm taxpayers’ identities for online accounts.

Read more: IRS Backs Down on Facial Recognition System

As PYMNTS reported, the IRS did not plan for taxpayers to have to use the system to pay or file taxes, check refunds or check the status of amended returns.

Instead, it had been part of an identification verification system that lets people create accounts on the IRS website, where they can check payment plans, look up records and access information about stimulus payments or child tax credits related to COVID.

The IRS wasn’t the only agency using ID.me, as the company’s face scan technology has scanned millions of Americans looking for unemployment insurance, tax credits, pandemic assistance grants in California, Florida, New York and Texas along with the federal Social Security, Labor and Veterans Affairs departments.

According to the Post, ID.me says anyone can delete their selfie or photo data starting March 1.

“We have listened to the feedback about facial recognition and are making this important change, adding an option for users to verify directly with a human agent to ensure consumers have even more choice and control over their personal data,” Blake Hall, the company founder and chief, said in a statement.

See: Facial Recognition Soon Required for IRS Website Users

But this change brings up further concerns, said Evan Greer, a director at the digital rights advocacy group Fight for the Future, who has contended that “biometrics have no place being used by agencies that provide people with basic services.”

Most people don’t know the risks connected to giving sensitive biometric information to a private company, Greer told the newspaper.

“They may assume it’s safe because they’ve been directed there through a government agency that they trust or have interacted with before. … Having this as an ‘option’ puts people’s sensitive information at risk.”