The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) promoted its “Child ID” app Tuesday, which purports to help parents whose children may go missing by storing biometric information and photos of the children.
The app “provides a convenient place to electronically store photos and other vital information” about children, the tweet reads. The premise of the app is to “show the pictures and provide physical identifiers such as height and weight to security or police officers on the spot,” according to the FBI’s website. (RELATED: IG: FBI Agents Mishandled Allegations Against Gymnastics National Team Doctor Larry Nassar)
When opened, the app prompts users with the option to record a child’s full name, address, home phone number, and biometric information. It prompts guardians to disclose some of their own personal information as well. The app accepts up to 10 photographs of a child, with up to five from behind the child.
The Child ID app also asks users for access to their smartphone’s camera and presents users with the option to specify their local police department.
The #FBI Child ID app—the first mobile application created by the Bureau—provides a convenient place to electronically store photos and other vital information about your children so that it’s literally right at hand if you need it. Learn more at https://t.co/qCvDsH9h0a. pic.twitter.com/HpaUzjDz2r
— FBI (@FBI) July 5, 2022
People from across the political spectrum criticized and mocked the FBI’s app.
No
— Krystal Ball (@krystalball) July 5, 2022
Absolutely Not https://t.co/VNWzYI3kt1
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) July 6, 2022
this is a prank right https://t.co/txkXkBRddh
— shoshana wodinsky (she/her) (@swodinsky) July 6, 2022
everyone, just download the app from law enforcement onto the device that tracks your movement and give it all of your personal info
— Steve Beynon (@StevenBeynon) July 5, 2022
Nice try, feds https://t.co/6LVZknGTaC
— Pete D’Abrosca (@pdabrosca) July 5, 2022
The people who refuse to name, much less arrest, Ghislaine Maxwell’s clients would like to have your children’s photos and personal info in their database.
In exchange, they’ll let you look at it too. https://t.co/YEkTS3bWEF
— Spike Cohen (@RealSpikeCohen) July 6, 2022
Time to end the FBI https://t.co/gbH73rr6o0
— Shane Hazel (@ShaneTHazel) July 6, 2022
Probably the last place you’d ever want to store any info bout your kids. https://t.co/ROLlKtZ4bE
— Hodgetwins (@hodgetwins) July 5, 2022
You literally cannot make this shit up. https://t.co/vxgUm8OqRr
— Natalie Dowzicky (@Nat_Dowzicky) July 6, 2022
The FBI stated that it “is not collecting or storing any photos or information that you [users] enter in the app.”
The FBI has recently faced intense scrutiny and legal ramifications relating to its mishandling of the Larry Nassar sexual abuse case.