Oregon DMV to use facial recognition software
October 28th, 2008 by 
privacyoriented
By The Associated Press (via the StatesmanJournal)
October 26, 2008
CORVALLIS — The new computers at the Oregon DMV never forget a face.
The state Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Division is installing the new computers to compare a new driver’s license photo with an old license image to see if they match.
The idea is to make it harder for criminals to get fake IDs.
Oregon DMV spokesman David House said that is one of the reasons drivers always get a temporary paper license when they get a renewal.
He said Digimarc, the Beaverton company behind the new technology, also needs time to review all the license application photos.
Digimarc is considered a leader in preventing electronic identity theft, counterfeiting and piracy.
But House said that DMV workers will make the final decision after the computer makes its comparison.
The software runs through millions of other photos in the system. If there is a question, trained DMV workers sit down with the photo and all the potential matches and decide whether or not to question the application.
After the photo is confirmed, the laminated permanent driver’s license with the new photo is sent by mail.
Oregon lawmakers authorized the facial recognition system in 2005.
The system accounts for $3 in the $4.50 increase in the driver’s license fee that went into effect in July.
The new computers are scheduled to be installed throughout Oregon by the end of November.
DMV offices getting the new equipment will be closed for a few hours while it is installed and workers are trained how to use it.
Information from: Gazette-Times, http://www.gtconnect.com
And that Gazette-Times version of the story:
New DMV software aims to cut ID fraud
Computers will compare new photo with old license image to see if they match
New computers at the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles will make it harder for criminals to get fake IDs.
That’s because the computers never forget a face.
The new computers are scheduled to be installed throughout Oregon by the end of November. DMV spokesman David House won’t say when the new technology will arrive in Benton and Linn counties. The computers are being installed field office by field office with little or no advance notice, he said.
DMV offices will be closed for a few hours while the equipment is installed and office personnel are trained in how to use it.
The new technology is pretty slick, House said.
When you get your picture taken at the DMV, the computer looks at your new photo and automatically matches it with your old one — just to make sure you are indeed you. Over the next 24 hours, it does the same thing with millions of other photos in the system. House said this is to ensure you’re not a different person, trying to get a fake ID.
A human being makes the final decision. Trained DMV workers sit down with the photo and all the potential matches and decide whether or not to question the application.
Oregon legislators passed a law authorizing the facial recognition system in 2005. It’s one the reasons you don’t get a regular laminated driver’s license the same day it’s approved. You get a temporary paper license. Your laminated license arrives in the mail.
House said this gives employees at DigiMark, the Portland company behind the new technology, time to review all the license applications.
The facial recognition system also accounts for $3 in the $4.50 increase in the driver’s license fee that went into effect in July.
Facial comparisons are made just with faces on file within the state. Nonetheless, House said, facial recognition should cut down on a lot of fraud.
Posted in Driver Licenses, Face Recognition | 