Biometric identity systems in law enforcement and the politics of (voice)recognition: the case of SiiP

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Jansen, Fieke; Sánchez-Monedero, Javier and Dencik, Lina. 2021. Biometric identity systems in law enforcement and the politics of (voice)recognition: the case of SiiP. Big Data & Society, 8(2), ISSN 2053-9517 [Article]

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1177/20539517211063604

Abstract or Description

Biometric identity systems are now a prominent feature of contemporary law enforcement, including in Europe. Often advanced on the premise of efficiency and accuracy, they have also been the subject of significant controversy. Much attention has focussed on longer-standing biometric data collection, such as finger-printing and facial recognition, foregrounding concerns with the impact such technologies can have on the nature of policing and fundamental human rights. Less researched is the growing use of voice recognition in law enforcement. This paper examines the case of the recent Speaker Identification Integrated Project, a European wide initiative to create the first international and interoperable database of voice biometrics, now the third largest biometric database at Interpol. Drawing on Freedom of Information requests, interviews and public documentation, we outline the emergence and features of SiiP and explore how voice is recognised and attributed meaning. We understand Speaker Identification Integrated Project as constituting a particular 'regime of recognition' premised on the use of soft biometrics (age, language, accent and gender) to disembed voice in order to optimise for difference. This, in turn, has implications for the nature and scope of law enforcement, people's position in society, and justice concerns more broadly.

Item Type:

Article

Identification Number (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1177/20539517211063604

Additional Information:

Funding: this work was supported by the H2020 European Research Council (grant number 759903).

Keywords:

Speaker identification, biometrics, law enforcement, identity, politics of recognition

Departments, Centres and Research Units:

Media, Communications and Cultural Studies

Dates: