The FBI's Quest To Analyze Tattoos With Computer Vision

Oddly enough, tattoos are now playing a significant role in modern law enforcement–thanks largely to the advent of computer vision. This month, an investigation by the Electronic Frontier Foundation revealed that the FBI is actually investing in research that can identify and semantically analyze tattoos en masse. To create a tool for the police that can not only recognize tattoos but analyze their meaning to create a network of contextual links between potentially millions of tattoos. One commonly cited scenario for how it might be used: If a surveillance camera didn't record a perpetrator's face, but it did catch a part of his or her tattoo, this technology could theoretically link that tattoo to a list of possible suspects. Or, investigators could use it to search for other examples and context about a particularly inscrutable tattoo. But questions about whether such a database impinges upon freedom of speech–and the rights of the prisoners whose photos populate it–are rife.