Saturday, May 30, 2009
Neutral facial expression
Mona Lisa would be right at home in the DMV these days. In an effort to combat identity theft, some motor vehicle departments are banning smiles from driver license photos. It’s all part of new technology being employed that allows officials to compare photos and determine if an ID is fraudulent—but the software only works if the person in the photo isn’t smiling. So “neutral facial expressions” are required at DMVs in Arkansas, Indiana, Nevada and Virginia. “Slight smiles” are okay.
Dull expressions “make the comparison process more accurate,” Karen Chappell, deputy commissioner of the Virginia DMV, told USA Today. A total of 37 motor vehicle agencies now use facial recognition technologies, according to the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. But not all use the same software. Some states are relying on versions that match faces regardless of expressions, which means in places like Pennsylvania, smiles are still welcome.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Four States Adopt 'No-smiles' Policy for Driver's Licenses (by Thomas Frank, USA Today)
As if It Needed to, Virginia Bans Smiles at the DMV (by Nick Miroff, Washington Post)
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