Due to human rights concerns, Cambridge University researchers have stopped the police from using face recognition for safety measures. Researchers from Cambridge University have said that the face recognition method is not meeting ethical and legal standards and that's why it should be banned in public spaces. Researchers from Minderoo Center for Technology and Democracy analyzed three cases of facial recognition technology (FRT) used by police officers and all of those cases were violating human rights.
These researchers then included UK's data protection and equality acts to create an audit to check FRT acts against legal guidelines. Then they applied those guidelines and standards to FRTs used by local UK police. In two cases, it was found that this FRT was used to scan crowds and compare faces to recognized criminals and let others be on the "watchlist". Even though the FRTs were being used to recognize and compare criminals, there was a lack of transparency, accountability, and oversight. The research found out that some important information from those FRTs was kept out of view from police too. This makes it difficult to evaluate the problems regarding face recognition technology.
The lead author of this research said that police are not the ones to be declared responsible and held accountable for the harm caused by facial recognition technology. There was no misuse of technology by police and little to no evidence of the communities which were affected by it. She also said that we are working to make these technologies ethical and safe for people. We are still trying to find solid evidence from the people and communities who were harmed by the police deployment of facial recognition technology.
The executive director of the Minderoo Center for Technology and Democracy said that many police forces, including the ones from England and Wales, have deployed face recognition technology for them. There is no way that we can avoid these kinds of technologies. What we can do is make these technologies safe to use.
Read next: A Wide Majority of Americans Favor Better Data Transparency from In Charge Law Enforcement Institutions
These researchers then included UK's data protection and equality acts to create an audit to check FRT acts against legal guidelines. Then they applied those guidelines and standards to FRTs used by local UK police. In two cases, it was found that this FRT was used to scan crowds and compare faces to recognized criminals and let others be on the "watchlist". Even though the FRTs were being used to recognize and compare criminals, there was a lack of transparency, accountability, and oversight. The research found out that some important information from those FRTs was kept out of view from police too. This makes it difficult to evaluate the problems regarding face recognition technology.
The lead author of this research said that police are not the ones to be declared responsible and held accountable for the harm caused by facial recognition technology. There was no misuse of technology by police and little to no evidence of the communities which were affected by it. She also said that we are working to make these technologies ethical and safe for people. We are still trying to find solid evidence from the people and communities who were harmed by the police deployment of facial recognition technology.
The executive director of the Minderoo Center for Technology and Democracy said that many police forces, including the ones from England and Wales, have deployed face recognition technology for them. There is no way that we can avoid these kinds of technologies. What we can do is make these technologies safe to use.
Read next: A Wide Majority of Americans Favor Better Data Transparency from In Charge Law Enforcement Institutions
