Forensics

Facial recognition technology is Australia's latest 'national security weapon'

Law enforcement and government agencies will soon find it easier to identify persons of interest, with the ability to search millions of facial images of Australians culled from driver's licenses, visas and passports.

On Wednesday, Australia's Minister for Justice Michael Keenan announced A$18.5 million would be spent to establish the National Facial Biometric Matching Capability (NFBMC). In a statement, he called it the country's "newest national security weapon." From mid-2016, the program will allow certain agencies and police to "share and match" photographs of Australians held in existing databases.