US Police Make Widespread Use Of Facial Recognition Software
Half of all American adults are included in databases police use to identify citizens with facial recognition technology, according to new research that raises serious concerns about privacy violations and the widespread use of racially biased surveillance technology.
A report from Georgetown Law’s Center on Privacy and Technology found that more than 117 million adults are captured in a “virtual, perpetual lineup”, which means law enforcement offices across the US can scan their photos and use unregulated software to track law-abiding citizens in government datasets.
Numerous major police departments have “real-time face recognition” technology that allows surveillance cameras to scan the faces of pedestrians walking down the street.
In Maryland, police have been using software to identify faces in protest photos and match them to people with warrants, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
UK Police will use facial recognition software to scan the faces of tens of thousands of revellers at this year’s Notting Hill carnival, on the 26th – 28th August, even though civil liberties groups believe such an action would be discriminatory.
The Metropolitan Police has described the planned deployment as a pilot project intended to look for suspected troublemakers to keep those attending safe.
The Notting Hill carnival is the biggest annual public order test for the Met, attracting crowds of up to 1 million people. Police at the two-day west London event will use the facial recognition system and match faces in the crowd against databases of people they suspect will cause trouble, comparing them with images of people previously arrested or under bail conditions to keep away from the event.
Last year’s carnival led to 45 officers being assaulted and eight were spat at, requiring them to take medication in case of infection. There were also 454 arrests, the highest number in a decade.
The Met said it had consulted on the deployment technology with a regulator and a civil liberties group. “The deployment of the cameras is to test the technology and was implemented following close liaison with the information commissioner and Big Brother Watch. Once the trial is complete, we will be analysing the results and holding a public consultation.”
However, Big Brother Watch, a privacy group campaigning against burgeoning state powers, said it had one chat with police last summer. Its chief executive, Renate Samson, said: “We met with them before the trial last year and haven’t spoken to them since. Certainly, we did not know the technology was to be trialled again this year.”
A different facial recognition system was used by police in Cardiff when the Welsh capital hosted May’s Champions League final between Real Madrid and Juventus.
Sam Lincoln, a former chief inspector in the Office of Surveillance Commissioners, said: “When you put facial recognition on to CCTV cameras, the ability for crime fighters to recognise people is enhanced. It speeds it up, you don’t have to have lots of people watching video.
“Who is saying that a camera has the capability? How is the capability used? How is it monitored? How is that data being connected to other surveillance? It’s a very clever method of data collection.”
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