January 6th: A Surveillance Review

Individuals at the January 6th US Capitol Riot

Our review of the 146 individuals who plead guilty in connection with the January 6th insurrection shows that facial recognition and other surveillance technology is not needed to properly identify suspects. Department of Justice data documents only 3 cases that used facial recognition. In contrast, the vast majority of cases used low-tech and less-invasive techniques, with 104 cases using tips from the public.

Types of Evidence Used In 1/6 Investigations

Source: U.S. Department of Justice Capitol Breach Case Data, available at https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/capitol-breach-cases

Full Dataset

Links to CSV of January 6th Guilty Plea data — CSV Version

Links to Excel spreadsheet of January 6th Guilty Plea data — Excel Version

Other Resources

Sources

171 rioters have pleaded guilty for their role in the Capitol insurrection so far. This table is tracking them all. - Insider
Hundreds of crimes, little punishment: Inside the sentences since the Capitol attack - Politico
Capitol Breach Cases - U.S. Department of Justice

Relevant Articles

The Capitol Attack Doesn’t Justify Expanding Surveillance - Wired
S.T.O.P. Condemns G.A.O. Facial Recognition Findings, Calls For Ban - S.T.O.P. Press Release
S.T.O.P. Condemns Police, Media Facial Recognition Search For Capital Attackers - S.T.O.P. Press Release