FBI asks local police for tattoo databases (Bend Bulletin – OR)
The FBI wants your tattoos — more specifically, the meanings behind their inky black lines and colorful shapes — and it’s asking local law enforcement agencies for help.
This has more to do with investigating organized crime associations than ID, but applying what can be learned from local law enforcement organizations will involve technologies closely related to biometrics.
What Does Your Tattoo Say About You? The FBI Wants to Know. (Nextgov)
The FBI is consulting local police and vendors about technology currently in use that can spot crooks and terrorists by interpreting the symbolism of their tattoos, according to government documents. The inquiry follows work already underway at the bureau and Homeland Security Department to add iris and facial recognition services to their respective fingerprint databases.
The FBI on Friday issued a request for information on existing databases “containing tattoo/symbol images, their possible meanings, gang affiliations, terrorist groups or other criminal organizations.”
What is described is more of a pattern recognition system but it is related to biometrics.