The Department of Motor Vehicles just seriously increased its facial recognition capabilities as part of a crackdown on ID fraud.
The DMV started its facial recognition program in 2008 using funds from asset forfeiture, but this latest iteration of the program, announced today, increases the number of measurement points on a face to 128, doubling the previous count. It also allows for better identification of features such as scars and birthmarks, and it's too smart to be fooled by tweaks to hairstyles, glasses, or piercings.
Officials say the Orwellian technology is primarily aimed at keeping people from obtaining multiple licenses or non-driver IDs. When someone applies for a new ID, his or her photo is run against over 16 million pictures already in the state's system, and the DMV will not issue the new ID until it makes it through the system without matching with another photo.
According to Governor Cuomo's announcement, over 3,600 people have been arrested for possessing multiple licenses since the program started in 2010, and it seems that number is expected to go up with the enhanced facial recognition capabilities. It's probably only a matter of time until this not-at-all conspicuous anti-recognition face paint trend sweeps the city.
None of this changes the fact that starting in 2018, New York State driver's licenses won't be an acceptable form of ID for domestic flights. That's thanks to the REAL ID act of 2005, which says that states have to require proof of citizenship or residency if they want their residents' driver's licenses to be a valid form of air travel ID. For an extra $30, though, you can apply for an Enhanced Driver's License, which is acceptable for air travel and will also get you in or out of Canada and Mexico if you're traveling by land or sea.
