Facial recognition technology: California lawmakers want to ban it in police body cameras

The ACLU announced the results of its test in pressing for passage of a bill to ban the technology in police body cameras.

Facial-recognition systems have gained popularity in recent years and are being used at airports, schools, homes and even concerts. The technology can also help a bartender identify who’s next in line for a drink. It works by identifying people’s faces from videos and photos and then comparing their facial features to those in a database.

But the ACLU is concerned the technology shows bias and is inaccurate, especially with woman and people of color.

Ting, along with the ACLU, co-sponsored AB 1215, also known as The Body Camera Accountability Act. The bill would ban the use of facial recognition and any biometric surveillance system in police-worn body cameras. Currently, there are no cities in California that have that technology in their police body cameras, Ting said Tuesday at a news conference.

“I could see innocent Californians subjected to perpetual police lineups because of false matches,” said Ting. “We must not allow this to happen.”

“Facial recognition-enabled police body cameras would be a disaster for communities and their civil rights, regardless of the technology’s accuracy,” said Matt Cagle, Technology and Civil Liberties Attorney, ACLU of Northern California.

“Even if this technology was accurate, which it is not, face recognition-enabled body cameras would facilitate massive violations of Californians civil rights.”

Others says the technology is a “necessary tool”

Some law enforcement agencies disagree and say the bill would impair the ability of officers.

During a Senate committee on pubic safety committee hearing in June, the Riverside Sheriffs’ Association said the technology would help provide events that draw massive crowds like Coachella Music and Arts Festival and the Rose Bowl with the best security available.

John Mirisch, the mayor of Beverly Hills, echoes those sentiments in a letter he wrote to Ting in June stating his opposition. He said the technology will help manage events that attract high-profile entertainers to the area such as The Golden Globes.

Other states have banned it

AB 1215 was first introduced in February and is set to be voted on in the California Senate in the coming weeks, according to the ACLU, and then would go to the California Assembly in May.