There's a television ad that stands out in my memory from when I was a kid (80s). The camera pans across patrons at a diner and the voiceover is about how a kidnapped child was recovered as the camera stops on a young girl (~8yo). The child is described, but the child the camera landed on has different features (hair dyed, cut, whatever). The explanation for how she was identified is that her fingerprints were on file. The message? Get your children fingerprinted!<p>In adulthood, I've often thought back to that ludicrous ad. No child's fingerprints are getting checked unless some foul play is already suspected. The likelihood that the child would fall into police custody and get checked is already slim; fingerprints aren't going to help until that happens. We don't have campaigns to fingerprint children as a proactive precaution today (of which I'm aware). Clearly, that wasn't a major breakthrough in reuniting kidnapped children with their parents that endured.<p>I'm very cynical, but I've always thought that was a campaign to gather biometrics from the population using fear as a motivator. I don't necessarily think this is that, but I can't help wondering the perverse incentives of the FBI as I'm reminded of the ad.
Low grade corruption ...and here's why:<p>The FBI is understaffed, misdirected & underfunded for its real mission, which I would argue must be fighting public corruption, organized crime and counter-espionage. Any objective analysis would conclude the Bureau has been politicized and its resources have been directed at operations, investigations and training that does not fulfill its core mission.<p>The bad PR and mistrust the FBI has earned in recent years is the public product of what I'm describing, and the solution is not mobile apps of marginal utility made to make the Bureau look good. No, the solution is arrests of corrupt politicians, crime bosses & spies.<p>Its not just the FBI suffering from feel/look good boondoggles. The Air Force struggles with hypersonics but excels at new uniform design. The DOT is a leader in equity & diversity, but has failed to upgrade & regulate rail infrastructure & procedures that make derailments a regular occurrence.<p>Tax revenues have been their highest in decades, possibly longer. We deserve better.
Clearly the optimal solution is RFID subdermal microchipping for all children, isn't it? Technology exists for boosted RFID (basically a tiny battery and solar PV linked to the RFID tag) which should work under the skin fairly well. Then install scanners at all public venues and schools, and link to the NSA database out in Utah, so that everyone can be safely location-tracked at all times. Removing the chip would of course be a felony.<p>Why stop there? Facial recognition, retina scan, DNA marker databases... a personalized AI minder for each troublesome human being (oh, that's your Alphabet/Meta tracker & recommendation algorithm, isn't it)?<p>This of course is all for the safety of the children and the FBI would never dream of using it to spy on citizens for political reasons, or implement a Chinese style social-credit system, or to ensure you're watching your daily dose of Orwellian positivity content.
> Please read your mobile provider’s terms of service for information about the security of applications stored on your device.<p>Is this weasel words? Apple already has some terms about being able to scan things locally before "potential upload", no?
There's a funny rendering problem with the pdf brochure where their assurance that it's not collecting information is split up and pasted in the wrong places. Making the document start with this sentence: "collecting or storing any photos
or information that you enter in the app".<p><a href="https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/child-id-app-brochure.pdf" rel="nofollow">https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/child-id-app-brochure.pd...</a>
> <i>The FBI is not collecting or storing any photos or information that you enter in the app.</i><p>So what's the advantage of using this vs. the photos you probably already have of your child, and a notes app for recording height and weight?
I am not a fan of this idea. My preference would be that parents could use an open source application and store-bought kit to gather/store datapoints on their children <i>fingerprint kit, iris scan, DNA gathering</i> and if/when something bad happens the parents can share the data with the appropriate law enforcement agencies that are actually involved in the case. There would also need to be data retention/destruction laws on the books that mandates when the copy of the data must be destroyed by law enforcement and serious consequences for a law enforcement agency should they side step the data retention requirements.<p>Anything short of this feels like a catch-all extension of ID.me and hospitals now gathering DNA from babies without the parents knowledge or consent. Children can not consent to their data being captured in this manor. This should be a role of parents and they should be securely storing this data in my very less than humble opinion. One copy on-site and one copy in a bank safety deposit box and/or one copy stored off-site with a relative, ideally someone legally designated as an emergency legal guardian.
You can't remember this info or write it down? The normal photos on your phone can't be sent to authorities?<p>Seems like an app to fix a nonexistent problem.
FBI seems to be making the best out of their recent partnership with Clearview AI.<p><a href="https://iapp.org/news/a/fbi-agrees-to-licensing-contract-with-clearview-ai/" rel="nofollow">https://iapp.org/news/a/fbi-agrees-to-licensing-contract-wit...</a>
Scully: Why would the aliens ONLY abduct people who installed the FBI app on their phones?<p>Mulder: They must have a mole inside the Bureau!<p>Skinner: If you go down this road I can't protect you.<p>Smoking man: <i>smokes</i>
"An important note: The FBI is not collecting or storing any photos or information that you enter in the app."<p>Thanks for answering the question we all had, FBI.
> An important note: The FBI is not collecting or storing any photos or information that you enter in the app. All data resides solely on your mobile device unless you need to send it to authorities.<p>I'd believe that about as far as I can throw it.
This is a good idea. Im not a parent but volunteer as a Big Brother for a 10 y/o. Keeping important docs/covid vax card/photos etc in one place for easy retrieval is a win. Hopefully it works well..
Going by the version history, this app has been around for over a decade. You'd think in that time they would have changed the exceptionally hideous app icon.
2.4/5 on Apple's App store...<p>The UI needs a lot of work going by the screenshots, it doesn't look appealing and there's some obvious contrast issues
when's the FBI going to start charging Epstein's clients? I'll use their app when they start arresting those people instead of hiding their identities
> The FBI is not collecting or storing any photos or information that you enter in the app. All data resides solely on your mobile device unless you need to send it to authorities.<p>If true, this sounds thoughtfully designed.
While i understand the skepticism, at least they are trying to streamline a process. a quick search reveals the startling statistic:<p>Every 40 seconds, a child goes missing or is abducted in the United States. Approximately 840,000 children are reported missing each year. having access to rapid id/photo. Minutes are precious. I'm no expert but + for fbi, minus for the cynics. Just my 2 cents