A new government watchdog report found that the use of facial recognition technology in law enforcement investigations, airport security, and public housing surveillance disproportionately harms people of color and women. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights highlighted the lack of oversight and regulation surrounding the use of facial recognition tools, which are increasingly being deployed by federal agencies without federal laws governing their use.
The report detailed how at least 18 federal agencies, including the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service, utilize facial recognition technology for investigations and security purposes. The technology, which maps a person’s facial features from a photo and matches them to a database of images, has shown a higher likelihood of false matches for certain groups, including older adults, women, and people of color.
The report also discussed the Department of Homeland Security’s use of facial recognition tools in border control and immigration probes, as well as instances of facial recognition technology being used in public housing surveillance leading to evictions over minor violations. The Commission raised concerns about potential civil rights violations and discrimination resulting from the unregulated use of facial recognition technology.
Civil rights advocates hope that the report will spur policy changes and lead to further action to address the biases and inaccuracies associated with facial recognition technology. The Commission recommended implementing a testing protocol to ensure fairness and accuracy in the use of facial recognition tools and called for a statutory mechanism for legal redress for individuals harmed by the technology. Overall, the report highlights the importance of protecting the civil rights and civil liberties of all Americans in the development and use of artificial intelligence technologies.
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