As the US continues to deal with the economic fallout of the pandemic, many states are requiring residents to submit to a facial-recognition software program to collect unemployment benefits.
Currently 25 states are using ID.me, a Virginia-based online identity network, CNN reports. Two more have signed contracts and at least seven others are in discussions.
To register with ID.me, clients verify their identity online—comparing a valid photo ID with a video selfie taken on their phone.
State agencies say they are trying to trim processing time and address the rising tide of benefits fraud that's developed during the pandemic.
But critics say facial-recognition technology raises serious privacy issues, since there are no federal regulations regarding biometric data.
At least 25 states currently require residents looking to collect unemployment benefits to register with ID.me, a facial-recognition network. Critics say that raises privacy issues and discriminates against Americans without reliable Internet access
ID.me claims users can delete their credentials any time, but co-founder Blake Hall told CNN some data is stored for up to seven-and-a-half-years after an account is terminated.
In addition, the tech is notoriously bad at identifying people of color, especially women.
And registering—or even complaining about a problem—requires a computer and internet access, something 17 million Americans lack, according to the FCC.
Olga Akselrod, a senior staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union, told CNN that ID.me's technology is 'known to be biased and have other serious civil rights implications.'
Facial-recognition technology has become increasingly ubiquitous. But its often poor at identifying people of color, especially women, and there are no federal laws protecting biometrics. ID.me says users can delete their credentials anytime, but admits some info maybe stored for up to another seven-and-a-half-years
Eric Watkins, a former software engineer who filed for unemployment benefits in Colorado, told the network that, when he informed the state's Department of Labor and Employment he wouldn't register with ID.me, he was informed, 'If you do not verify your identity soon, your claim will be disqualified and no further benefit payments will be issued.'
Manual identification is only offered as a last resort—to minors, who are not allowed to register with ID.me, and to those facing 'technological barriers.'
ID.me was founded in early 2010 as TroopSwap, a Groupon-like 'deals' website aimed at discounts for service members and their families.
Hall and Matt Thompson quickly evolved it into Troop ID, offering digital identity verification for active service members and veterans looking to access online discounts and benefits.
In 2013, Troop ID changed its name to ID.me and began broadening its verification network to include students, nurses and first responders.
'We think it's a fundamental problem that digital identity is in the hands of two advertising companies, Facebook and Google. That clearly is not OK,' Hall told The Washington Post in
