by Leo Hohmann, Leo’s Newsletter:
Will pay defense contractor $128 million a year to upgrade the system, but don’t worry, it’s all to ‘keep America safe’
We are living in the midst of a historic, accelerating convergence of biometric surveillance and national security infrastructure, capable of sweeping up endless reams of personal data on immigrants and Americans alike.
In the latest evidence of that trend, Biometric Update reports that the FBI has awarded a $128 million one-year contract to a company called Leidos, to modernize the agency’s sprawling biometric and criminal history database known as the Next Generation Identification, or NGI, system. The FBI will have options to renew the contract for up to another four years.
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According to the article:
“The contract, announced Tuesday, marks the latest evolution in a decades-long effort by the FBI to centralize and enhance the way federal, state, local, and international partners identify individuals suspected of criminal activity or are flagged for national security reasons using rapidly advancing biometric technology.”
Roy Stevens, president of Leidos’ national security sector, said:
“Leidos has long partnered with the FBI to deliver mission-critical biometric systems, including NGI, the largest, most efficient electronic repository of biometric and criminal history data. Leidos’ work with the FBI to improve the system’s accuracy facilitates many more criminal identifications, helping to keep America safe.”
According to Biometric Update, NGI is much more than just a fingerprint repository.
It is the most expansive biometric identity system in the world, encompassing multimodal data inputs including facial recognition, palm prints, iris scans, voice data, scars and tattoos, and, increasingly, behavioral biometrics.
Since its initial rollout in 2011, NGI has served as the core operational system within the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division in Clarksburg, West Virginia. It processes millions of biometric transactions daily and supports hundreds of thousands of users across law enforcement, immigration, counterterrorism, and border security.
The new contract granted to Leidos mandates a comprehensive overhaul of NGI’s digital architecture and operational capabilities. This modernization includes the integration of new biometric matching algorithms, machine learning–driven analytics, mobile and cloud-based application support, and the reengineering of core software and hardware infrastructure using AI to boost agility, speed, and interoperability.
This contract comes on the heels of another awarded to Leidos in May worth $130 million over five years to support the FBI’s Fingerprint Analysis Support Team Biometric Services program. According to Biometric Update, this contract “marked a significant development in the FBI’s efforts to modernize and enhance its biometric identification capabilities and further solidified Leidos’ position as a critical partner in advancing federal law enforcement technology infrastructure.”
This is more of the beast system developing at warp speed before our very eyes.
