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In response to our public records request, Vermont State Police has stated it does not use face recognition technology (013790). However, according to a 2016 report by the Government Accountability Office, the FBI’s FACE Services unit can request face recognition searches of Vermont’s 1.8 million driver’s license and ID photos (GAO). Since the FBI submits searches to be run by the responsible state agency, this would appear to indicate that the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has implemented a face recognition system that searches state driver’s license photos (GAO).

The DMV face recognition system, and its use by the FBI, may conflict with Vermont state law, which states that the DMV “shall not implement any procedures or processes for identifying applicants for licenses . . . that involve the use of biometric identifiers.” (Vt. Stat. Ann. Tit. 23, § 634).

Sources: GAO, Vermont State Police, Vt. Stat. Ann. Tit. 23, § 634. (Last updated: August 2016). You can review our scorecard criteria in the Methodology section. Numerical citations, e.g. (123456), refer to official records available by clicking "View Documents" below.

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