Vermont's Department of Motor Vehicles is launching a legal review of its facial recognition program after the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union called for an immediate halt in the program.
The ACLU sent the DMV an 11-page letter on Tuesday outlining civil liberties concerns related to the program, which uses facial recognition technology to scan the DMV's database of more than 700,000 individuals.
Jay Diaz, a staff attorney for the Vermont ACLU, tells Vermont Public Radio the program is in violation of a Vermont law that prohibits using biometrics to identify license applicants.
DMV Commissioner Robert Ide said Wednesday the department launched an internal review after receiving the ACLU's letter, saying the letter is very well researched and deserves the agency's attention from their own perspective.
