The Detroit police have been secretly using unreliable facial recognition technology to make arrests for the last two years in news that has sparked controversy. Critics in the majority-black city have pointed out identification issues that particularly affect people of colour and women. In a report released on Tuesday, Amnesty International said it had documented more than 100 cases where officers used face recognition software without proper consent or knowledge about their targets. The technology, that also makes it easier to track people’s movements, poses obvious questions about whether police are violating citizen privacy rights.
The Detroit police have been secretly using unreliable facial recognition technology to make arrests for the last two years in news that has sparked controversy. Critics in the majority-black city have pointed out identification issues that particularly affect people of colour and women. This combined with the 83% black population of the city makes the use of the technology especially worrying, according to Willie Burton, a member of the civilian Detroit Police Commission. The technology, that also makes it easier to track people’s movements, poses obvious questions about whether police are violating citizen privacy rights.