New Jersey Bans Smiling in Driver's License Photos

This whole has nothing to do with smiling. The requirements - No smiling, looking straight ahead, etc is for Facial Recognition Technology, providing a reference photo for face dimensions. Couple that with facebook type "Tag your Friends" photos, and pretty soon you have enough photos at hand to build a 3d representation of most of the faces logged. Using these its fairly easy to see you can start to regognize faces from different angles, and in real time, if you had enough computing power - and they do. How's that for big brother.

cant smile in Canadian drivers licence or passports

Few enough people smiling in Jersey.

When I got my DL pic taken I tried to look as drunk as possible so when a cop pulls me over I look just like the pic and all is normal.

Going to the department of motor vehicles can put a frown on anyone's face, but for New Jersey residents, smiling is officially against the rules.

The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission has cracked down on drivers smiling in their driver's license photos because their smiles could interfere with new facial recognition software.

New Jersey resident Velvet McNeil told the Philadelphia Inquirer Thursday that when she went to get her license at her local New Jersey motor vehicle center, she was told she could not smile for her photo. Shocked, McNeil said she walked out of the center.

"Your picture means a lot," she told the newspaper. "It's who you are."


[link to news.yahoo.com]

That has been the policy in Canada for many years already.. no smile on Drivers' Licenses and Passports... I asked why, and was told, they can more accurately identify people and verify ID if there is a need to do so when the face is neutral…smiles and frowns change the skin around the eyes and nose and makes it more difficult to make a positive ID.

That is the story I was given.

This shouldn't be a problem to Portuguese people, in a nation of long time slave traders, genocides and thieves!

Going to the department of motor vehicles can put a frown on anyone's face, but for New Jersey residents, smiling is officially against the rules.

The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission has cracked down on drivers smiling in their driver's license photos because their smiles could interfere with new facial recognition software.

New Jersey resident Velvet McNeil told the Philadelphia Inquirer Thursday that when she went to get her license at her local New Jersey motor vehicle center, she was told she could not smile for her photo. Shocked, McNeil said she walked out of the center.

"Your picture means a lot," she told the newspaper. "It's who you are."


[link to news.yahoo.com]

This whole has nothing to do with smiling. The requirements - No smiling, looking straight ahead, etc is for Facial Recognition Technology, providing a reference photo for face dimensions. Couple that with facebook type "Tag your Friends" photos, and pretty soon you have enough photos at hand to build a 3d representation of most of the faces logged. Using these its fairly easy to see you can start to regognize faces from different angles, and in real time, if you had enough computing power - and they do. How's that for big brother.

so if you walk down the street smiling it will miss you?
That's what they are saying but I think its BS

cant smile in Canadian drivers licence or passports

No kidding. DL picture means nothing to me. It's the only picture I'm forced to take, and I don't appreciate someone forcing me to have my picture made just to be allowed to drive my own car.

I thought they were all doing that now. Alabama wouldn't let me smile for my driver's license 3 years ago, and I was told not to smile for my passport photo last week. It's because they want to be able to run you through facial recognition software whenever they want.

And that ain't no conspiracy theory. It's what the lady at the DMV AND the guy at Walgreens told me.

But it says you can keep on head wear if it's for religious reasons. I'm wondering do you have to show a religious ID for that? And what if you wear one that covers your whole face?

And what about beards, beards can cover a lot of your face.