Facial Recognition Technology: Federal Law Enforcement Agencies Should Better Assess Privacy and Other Risks, GAO-21-518 Published: Jun 03, 2021. Publicly Released: Jun 29, 2021.  We surveyed 42 federal agencies that employ law enforcement officers about their use of facial recognition technology.

• 20 reported owning such systems or using systems owned by others
• 6 reported using the technology to help identify people suspected of violating the law during the civil unrest, riots, or protests following the death of George Floyd in May 2020
• 3 acknowledged using it on images of the U.S. Capitol attack on Jan. 6
• 15 reported using non-federal systems

GAO surveyed 42 federal agencies that employ law enforcement officers about their use of facial recognition technology. Twenty reported owning systems with facial recognition technology or using systems owned by other entities, such as other federal, state, local, and non-government entities. We recommended that 13 agencies track employee use of non-federal systems and assess the risks these systems can pose regarding privacy, accuracy, and more…”