OMB Individually Reported

Biometrics Enrollment Tool (BET) Fingerprint Quality Check

Medium riskExact public inventory row

Description

This effort aims to maximize the number of successful FBI submissions while minimizing the number of fingerprint recaptures necessary. The output is a Numerical Fingerprint Quality score, which is compared against fingerprint quality thresholds (per finger and per set of fingerprints) to align with FBI specifications.

Detailed example

Numerical Fingerprint Quality score, which is compared against fingerprint quality thresholds (per finger and per set of fingerprints) to align with FBI specifications

AI / analytics pattern

Classical/Predictive Machine Learning: Models trained on data to make predictions or classifications based on identified patterns or relationships.

Automation level / stage

c) Deployed – The use case is being actively authorized or utilized to support the functions or mission of an agency.

Expected benefit

BET assists in determining if the fingerprint taken is good enough quality to pass the FBI fingerprint check process. It provides immediate feedback when a set of prints is likely to be rejected by the FBI by incorporating machine learning models into the BET application. The FBI will not disclose their quality grading criteria for fingerprints, leaving BET with the responsibility of determining quality to prevent unnecessary secondary encounters with applicants.

Audit / financial statement impact

The AI outputs do not serve as a principal basis for a decision or action concerning a specific individual or entity that has a legal, material, binding, or similarly significant effect on that individual’s or entity’s civil rights, civil liberties or privacy, equal opportunities, or access to or the ability to apply for critical government resources or services. This tool simply identifies whether a fingerprint collected is of sufficient quality to pass the FBI fingerprint check process, ultimately maximizing the number of successful FBI submissions while minimizing the number of fingerprint recaptures necessary. This quality assurance step is one task in a series of adjudication activities but is not determinative of the overall adjudication decision. The tool saves personnel time and resources while enhancing customer experience by helping to ensure that only quality fingerprints are passed forward for matching against the FBI Identity History Summary Check. Results of FBI fingerprint checks are subsequently reviewed by a human as part of the immigration adjudicative process.

Controls / human review

ATO: Yes; PIA: https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2024-11/24_0930_priv_pia-dhs-uscis-cpms-060d.pdf

Data needed

Internal data from BET data capture into Databricks lakehouse, numerical values representing fingerprint quality scores determined by the BET system outside of the AI workflow.