The FBI does not currently accept contactless fingerprint submissions to the Next Generation Identification (NGI) System for any purpose (criminal or civil). Technology evaluations and development of a certification protocol to determine fingerprint image fidelity/interoperability are ongoing.
Contactless Fingerprints
Contactless fingerprints refer to fingerprints being captured without the need for a subject to contact a collection device. This could be fingerprints obtained from a stationary device where a subject simply passes their hand/fingers over a sensor area, or from a smartphone camera.
Contactless fingerprint technology may offer a rapid and hygienic alternative to conventional fingerprint capture equipment, such as live-scan devices. However, there are challenges in using contactless capture of fingerprints. While it is easy to distinguish topographical highs (ridges) and lows (valleys) in a contact collection, this is not the case with contactless fingerprints. The illumination of a three-dimensional (3D) object, as is done with contactless collection, creates complicating factors such as over-illumination, shadows, and reversal of polarity (ridges appearing as valleys and vice versa).
The FBI is working closely with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to test the accuracy of contactless fingerprint and to develop a pathway to certifying the collection of contactless images meet necessary image quality and interoperability standards.
Contactless Fingerprint Pilot
The FBI is currently working to design a pilot that will allow the collection of contactless fingerprints in operational scenarios to assess its accuracy and efficiency compared to traditional contact collection of fingerprint images for law enforcement purposes.
The contactless fingerprint images will be maintained and shared by authorized government and non-governmental entities for research, testing, and development consistent with the protection of personal information as required by law and policy.
*NOTE: Please continue to reference this page for the most updated status for FBI acceptance of contactless fingerprints. *
Resources
- Contactless Fingerprint Pilot Technical Specifications Document
- NIST Special Publication 500-334 Contactless Fingerprint Capture and Data Interchange Best Practice Recommendation
- NIST Special Publication 500-336 Specification for Interoperability Testing of Contactless Fingerprint Acquisition Devices, v1.0
- NIST Special Publication 500-339 Specification for Certification Testing of Contactless Fingerprint Acquisition Devices, v1.0
- NIST Special Publication 500-340 Guidance on Contactless Friction Ridge Image Compression, v1.0
- NIST Special Publication 500-305 Guidance for Evaluating Contactless Fingerprint Acquisition Devices
- NIST Interagency Report 8307 Interoperability Assessment 2019: Contactless-to-Contact Fingerprint Capture
- NIST Interagency Report 8315 Evaluating the Operational Impact of Contactless Fingerprint Imagery on Matcher Performance
