--- title: "U.S. Prisons Are Covertly Gathering Inmates’ Biometric Voice Data" description: "The Intercept published a shocking account of U.S. prisons building biometric databases of their inmates' voices, in some cases without their consent." date: "2019-01-31" modified: "2019-01-31" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/us-prisons-collect-biometric-voice-data-surveillance" categories: - "Cybersecurity" - "Data Privacy" - "Future Society" tags: - "prison" - "surveillance" - "voice recognition" --- # U.S. Prisons Are Covertly Gathering Inmates’ Biometric Voice Data ![]() *\Image: Markus Spiske/Tag Hartman-Simkins\* ## Automated Panopticons *The Intercept* published a [shocking account]() Wednesday about how U.S. prisons are building biometric databases of inmates' voices, in some cases without their consent. Hundreds of thousands of incarcerated people have had their voice prints digitized, according to the report, for the sake of prison security and surveillance — a grim example of how surveillance technologies can enable authorities to create automated panopticons. ## Voice Surveillance Inmates were asked to repeat seemingly random phrases into a phone, according to *The Intercept*, sometimes under the threat that otherwise their phone privileges would be revoked. "It said, 'Say this phrase, blah, blah, blah,' and if you didn’t say it clearly, they would say, 'Say this phrase again,' like 'cat' or 'I’m a citizen of the United States of America,'" an inmate at New York's Sing Sing prison told *The Intercept*. Documents obtained by *The Intercept* tell a shocking story: prison authorities were storing inmates' unique 'voice prints' in biometric databases in order to create a voice surveillance system, with the goal of monitoring prisoners' calls. The system even stores voice signatures of call recipients outside the prison. ## Breach of Civil Liberties Authorities say the surveillance could help prevent fraud — inmates using each other's identification numbers to make calls for instance — and beef up prison security. But civil rights advocates are raising flags about the new system: it violates inmates' rights, they say, especially when data is being collected against their consent. **READ MORE:** [Prisons across the U.S. are quietly building databases of incarcerated people's voice prints]() \[*The Intercept*\] ***More on voice recognition: [China’s Google Equivalent Can Clone Voices After Seconds of Listening]()*** ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()