May 27th, 2009
State DMV: Facial recognition requires 'No Smile' rule
Facial recognition systems may have their good points, but count this on the negative side: At the Virginia DMV, smiles are outlawed, according to the Washington Post.
Manassas resident Maria Quispe when she sat down against the white backdrop and attempted to look happy for the photo she would be carrying around for much of the next eight years.
“Say cheese,” said her stepdaughter, Alexandra Lopez.
“No cheese today,” the DMV attendant said.
The shutter clicked, and the attendant consulted a computer monitor, then shook her head disapprovingly. Quispe’s teeth had been visible. Strike one. “Your mouth was open,” the attendant said.
Quispe’s second attempt turned out sufficiently dull. “It’s going to be so ugly,” Quispe said afterward. “This is like being in the Army!”
The reason for this Grinch-like behavior? DMV is prepping for a facial recognition system and they’re doing their best to make things easy for the system.
“The technology works best when the images are similar,” said DMV spokeswoman Pam Goheen. “To prepare for the possibility of future security enhancements, we’re asking customers to maintain a neutral expression.”
