Video and data surveillance by public and private entities.
Civil Surveillance (39)
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- 5 min
- BBC
- 2021
The ability of facial recognition technology used by the South Wales Police force to identify an individual based on biometric data nearly instantly rather than the previous standard of 10 days allowed a mother to say goodbye to her son on his deathbed. It seems to have other positive impacts, such as identifying criminals earlier than they otherwise might have been. However, as is usually the case, concerns abound about how this facial recognition technology can violate human rights.
- BBC
- 2021
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- 5 min
- BBC
- 2021
Facial recognition technology meant mum saw dying son
The ability of facial recognition technology used by the South Wales Police force to identify an individual based on biometric data nearly instantly rather than the previous standard of 10 days allowed a mother to say goodbye to her son on his deathbed. It seems to have other positive impacts, such as identifying criminals earlier than they otherwise might have been. However, as is usually the case, concerns abound about how this facial recognition technology can violate human rights.
Discussion Prompts:
Who can be trusted with facial recognition algorithms that can give someone several possibilities for the identity of a particular face? Who can be trusted to decide in what cases this technology can be deployed? How can bias become problematic when a human is selecting one of many faces recommended by the algorithm? Should the idea of constant surveillance or omnipresent cameras make us feel safe or concerned?
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- 5 min
- New York Times
- 2020
Decisions on whether or not law enforcement should be trusted with facial recognition are tricky, as is argued by Detroit city official James Tate. On one hand, the combination of the bias latent in the technology itself and the human bias of those who use it sometimes leads to over-policing of certain communities. On the other hand, with the correct guardrails, it can be an effective tool in getting justice in cases of violent crime. This article details the ongoing debate about how much facial recognition technology use is proper in Detroit.
- New York Times
- 2020
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- 5 min
- New York Times
- 2020
A Case for Facial Recognition
Decisions on whether or not law enforcement should be trusted with facial recognition are tricky, as is argued by Detroit city official James Tate. On one hand, the combination of the bias latent in the technology itself and the human bias of those who use it sometimes leads to over-policing of certain communities. On the other hand, with the correct guardrails, it can be an effective tool in getting justice in cases of violent crime. This article details the ongoing debate about how much facial recognition technology use is proper in Detroit.
Discussion Prompts:
Who should be deciding on the guardrails surrounding the use of facial recognition technology? How can citizens have more control over when their face is being recorded or captured? Can there ever be enough guardrails to truly ensure that facial recognition technology can be used with no chance of bias?
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- 5 min
- CNET
- 2019
Fight for the Future, a digital activist group, used Amazon’s Rekognition facial recognition software to scan faces on the street in Washington DC to show that there should be more guardrails on the use of this type of technology, before it is deployed for ends which violate human rights such as identifying peaceful protestors.
- CNET
- 2019
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- 5 min
- CNET
- 2019
Demonstrators scan public faces in DC to show lack of facial recognition laws
Fight for the Future, a digital activist group, used Amazon’s Rekognition facial recognition software to scan faces on the street in Washington DC to show that there should be more guardrails on the use of this type of technology, before it is deployed for ends which violate human rights such as identifying peaceful protestors.
Discussion Prompts:
Does this kind of stunt seem effective at getting the attention of the public on the ways that facial recognition can be misused? How? Who decides what is a “positive” use of facial recognition technology, and how can these use cases be negotiated with those citizens who want their privacy protected?
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- 7 min
- Amnesty International
- 2021
Amnesty International released a statement detailing its opposition of widespread use of facial recognition technology for mass surveillance purposes based on its misuse and unfair impacts over Black communities and the chilling effect which it would create on peaceful protest.
- Amnesty International
- 2021
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- 7 min
- Amnesty International
- 2021
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL CALLS FOR BAN ON THE USE OF FACIAL RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY FOR MASS SURVEILLANCE
Amnesty International released a statement detailing its opposition of widespread use of facial recognition technology for mass surveillance purposes based on its misuse and unfair impacts over Black communities and the chilling effect which it would create on peaceful protest.
Discussion Prompts:
Is more accurate facial recognition technology a good thing or a bad thing? How would FRT be weaponized to justify policing policies that are already unfair toward Black communities? Why is anonymity important, both in protest scenarios and elsewhere? Can anyone be anonymous in the age of digital technology? What amount of anonymity is appropriate?
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- 7 min
- Slate
- 2021
A new law passed unanimously in Maine heavily restricts the contexts in which facial recognition technology can be deployed, putting significant guardrails around how it is used by law enforcement. Also, it allows citizens to sue if they believe the technology has been misused. This is a unique step in a time when several levels of government, all the way up to the federal government, are less likely to attach strict rules to the use of facial recognition technology, despite the clear bias that is seen in the wake of its use.
- Slate
- 2021
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- 7 min
- Slate
- 2021
Maine Now Has the Toughest Facial Recognition Restrictions in the U.S.
A new law passed unanimously in Maine heavily restricts the contexts in which facial recognition technology can be deployed, putting significant guardrails around how it is used by law enforcement. Also, it allows citizens to sue if they believe the technology has been misused. This is a unique step in a time when several levels of government, all the way up to the federal government, are less likely to attach strict rules to the use of facial recognition technology, despite the clear bias that is seen in the wake of its use.
Discussion Prompts:
How can tech companies do even more to lobby for stricter facial recognition regulation? Is a moratorium on facial recognition use by all levels of government the best plan? Why or why not? Does creating “more diverse datasets” truly solve all the problems of bias with the technology?
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- 40 min
- New York Times Magazine
- 2021
This article goes into extraordinary detail on the company Clearview AI, a company whose algorithm has crawled the public web to provide over 3 billion photos of faces with links that travel to the original source of each photo. Discusses the legality and privacy concerns of this technology, how the technology has already been used by law enforcement and in court cases, and the founding of the company. Private use of technology similar to that of Clearview AI could revolutionize society and may move us to the post-privacy era.
- New York Times Magazine
- 2021
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- 40 min
- New York Times Magazine
- 2021
Your Face Is Not Your Own
This article goes into extraordinary detail on the company Clearview AI, a company whose algorithm has crawled the public web to provide over 3 billion photos of faces with links that travel to the original source of each photo. Discusses the legality and privacy concerns of this technology, how the technology has already been used by law enforcement and in court cases, and the founding of the company. Private use of technology similar to that of Clearview AI could revolutionize society and may move us to the post-privacy era.
Discussion Prompts:
Should companies like Clearview AI exist? How would facial recognition be misused by both authorities and the general public if it were to permeate all aspects of life?