Trump's FBI inks contract to vastly expand and centralize its biometric surveillance and data-collection capabilities

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.

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:

“Le…