Government-Wide Facial Recognition Software Usage is Under the Microscope.

Following the success of a recent effort to have the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) scrap its facial recognition program, privacy advocates are now targeting other agencies that employ the technology. Public interest groups and legislators from both parties reacted angrily to reports last month that the IRS required people to upload selfies for an identity verification program managed by ID.me. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) called on the IRS to end the program, while Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) sought a blanket prohibition on the IRS collecting biometric data. The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and the Media Alliance have joined the chorus of public interest groups calling for the IRS to abandon its plan. Their advertising was a big hit. The IRS announced on February 7 that it will not utilize a third-party business to use face recognition to authenticate new…

Read More

All Eyes on FF Gene Biotech.

FF Gene Biotech is a next generation DNA sequencing company in China and was founded by Fulgent Genetics which is a primary distributor of COVID-19 tests nationwide. As of January 12, 2021, LA county announced it’s intent on relying on Fulgent Genetics to provide covid tests moving forward. Little does America know, FF Gene Biotech has set up shop in China to conduct cutting edge research on next generation DNA sequencing. The official relationship between the two companies is briefly explained on their site as follows: FF Gene Biotech formed in 2017 through a Joint Venture between Fulgent Genetics, Xilong Scientific, and Fuzhou Jinqiang Investment Partnership (FJIP). The company was founded to bring Fulgent Genetics’ next-generation sequencing (NGS) capabilities to the Chinese genetic testing market. On May 10th, 2021, Fulgent Genetics acquired a majority stake in FF Gene Biotech. The…

Read More