US Biometric Storage System Protections Need Work, Watchdog Says

The US Department of Homeland Security’s plan to update its biometric database needs better privacy protections and is running concerningly behind schedule, according to a Government Accountability Office report released Tuesday.

DHS’ new biometric identity management system—used to inform immigration and national security decisions—is expected to retain the fingerprints and facial scans of hundreds of millions of individuals. But the program doesn’t align with several privacy requirements for federal agencies handling private data, the GAO report found.

The government watchdog’s findings come as DHS plans to increase storage capacity and broaden the biometric data it collects to include categories like ...