Virginia Bans Smiling

In an important move for Keeping America Safe, the state of Virginia has banned the act of smiling …

… while posing for driver’s license photos at the Department of Motor Vehicles, that is.

According to this article, the Virginia DMV is developing a super-secure driver’s license that will combat identity theft, fraud, and who knows what other nefarious activities.

As part of this effort, the smiling ban is required to facilitate the use of facial recognition software for tracking a person’s picture over time.  As a DMV spokesperson explained, “The technology works best when the images are similar…. To prepare for the possibility of future security enhancements, we’re asking customers to maintain a neutral expression.”

Virginia currently enforces the ban at about half of its DMV offices throughout the state and plans to expand this policy to the remaining offices in a month. And in the USA in general, thirty-seven DMV agencies use facial recognition software.

Remember, if you smile, the terrorists and criminals win.