“Why You’re in a Police Lineup, Right Now” — The New York Times, 2019, 4:28 — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLnRpiMepUw

If authorities had the ability to secretly search through your home every once in a while, would you be comfortable with that? Even if you have nothing to hide, face recognition technology is essentially the same thing, and it’s likely you are in a perpetual police line up right now. This video covers problems with how such technology is used, the inadequacies of the pictures in police databases, and how the system is biased. Since the databases are dominated by white images, the technology thinks people of color look more alike than white people, resulting in more errors when identifying people of color.

Would you support a temporary or permanent moratorium on face recognition by authorities? How can we balance the efficiency face recognition offers policing with a right to privacy? What might become of our society if the technology progresses without proper regulations?

From the video’s description: Face-recognition technology is the new norm. You may think, “I’ve got nothing to hide,” but we all should be concerned. It's being used to unlock phones, clear customs, identify immigrants and solve crimes. In the Video Op-Ed above, Clare Garvie demands the United States government hit pause on face recognition. She argues that while this convenient technology may seem benign to those who feel they have nothing to hide, face recognition is something we should all fear. Police databases now feature the faces of nearly half of Americans — most of whom have no idea their image is there. The invasive technology violates citizens’ constitutional rights and is subject to an alarming level of manipulation and bias. Our privacy, our right to anonymity in public and our right to free speech are in danger. Congress must declare a national moratorium on the use of face-recognition technology until legal restrictions limiting its use and scope can be developed. Without restrictions on face recognition, America’s future is closer to a Chinese-style surveillance state than we’d like to think.