Facial recognition is an interesting piece of technology and there has always been two sides of the spectrum. On one side, people think it’s great being able to use facial recognition to unlock phones and track criminals quickly. On the other side, it can be an invasion of privacy and companies are using this technology without the permission of their users.
In the article, it talks about how a local sheriff’s office in Washington was able to speed up the process of a second-degree theft case by using Amazon’s Rekognition. This software helped the local police department create its own searchable database of county jail mugshots. Using this software, the deputy was able to watch the surveillance footage and import it into the database, which the deputy then got back a digital lineup of mugshots and found possible matches. This tool helped police accelerate the process of catching criminals and helps create a database of mugshots. Although Amazon’s Rekognition is helpful for policing tactics, it is also invading privacy of people. Facial recognition collects data from everyone without their permission which is the other spectrum of this tool. People are concerned about their information being collected which is a valid reasoning. What are your thoughts?
Link to article:
https://www.cnet.com/news/facial-recognition-overkill-how-deputies-solved-a-12-shoplifting-case/
I think there are both positives and negatives of facial recognition technology. This article shows one of the benefits. It helped law enforcement catch a thief while using little resources. The TSA is also researching ways of using facial recognition for domestic flights, which will increase security and better recognize and prevent people on the no-fly list from flying. However, a major negative of facial recognition is government overreach. China has developed a network of surveillance systems with facial recognition software installed. The software can identify who the citizen is and if he or she is a threat (Xinjiang, China). I think facial recognition is a great technology but it needs to be controlled and not overstep privacy boundaries.
https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/15/17979688/tsa-precheck-facial-recognition-airport-cbp-biometric-exit
http://fortune.com/2018/10/28/in-china-facial-recognition-tech-is-watching-you/
Facial recognition plays a huge role in our safety today. A few years ago, the sheriff in Washington wouldn’t have been able to find the criminal as fast as he could today with Amazon Rekognition. It helped the sheriff identify and capture the criminal much faster which means there are less criminals out on the streets. I believe this is definitely a positive. It can also help track who is walking into a venue to ensure there are no threats at an event. When I am at an event, I want to feel safe and comfortable. The United States works hard to protect its’ citizens and i think implementing facial recognition in more places will help keep this a safe place for us. As with all data, as long as it is used for the business purpose only, I do not see a problem with it. If it will keep me safer, then I fully support it and I appreciate it.