US Cities, States Returning to Facial Recognition for Policing
2022-05-16
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1From 2019 through 2021, many American state and city governments passed laws restricting the use of facial recognition software in crime prevention.
2Facial recognition is a way of using software to identify an individual by matching their face to a database of images.
3Studies at the time found the technology less successful at correctly identifying Black people than white people.
4So, under pressure from social justice organizations, many states put restrictions in place.
5Now, local governments across the United States are starting to use facial recognition software again.
6The move comes as crime in the country has increased.
7At the same time, software companies say the technology has improved and no longer incorrectly recognizes Black people.
8In the coming months, the states of Virginia and California will permit local police to use the recognition programs.
9Before this year, Vermont did not permit the software, but now officers can use the systems in cases of child sexual abuse.
10In New Orleans, Louisiana, murder reports rose 67 percent over the last two years compared with the previous two.
11And police in the southern city are set to start using the technology later this month.
12The leader of the New Orleans police department is Shaun Ferguson.
13He said the "technology is needed to solve these crimes and to hold individuals accountable."
14Ongoing research by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has shown facial recognition technology is getting better.
15And testing from the Department of Homeland Security found the software is better at recognizing people of all skin colors.
16But not all government agencies are certain about the improvements.
17The General Services Administration reviews companies that want to work for the U.S. government.
18It recently said the tools do not work well enough when studying African Americans.
19In addition, the U.S. government is forming a group to study facial recognition and its use in police work.
20Jake Parker works for the Security Industry Association, a trade group that represents software companies.
21He said there is a "growing interest" in the technology if it is used in "a nondiscriminatory way that benefits communities."
22One company that makes the software is Clearview AI.
23It recently settled a legal action brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
24The ACLU said Clearview violated the privacy of billions of people by collecting photos and information taken from social media without permission.
25Clearview, which helps police find matches in its social media database, said it welcomes "any regulation that helps society ... while limiting potential downsides."
26Starting on July 1, police in Virginia will be able to use facial recognition tools that have 98 percent or higher accuracy based on the NIST test.
27The software could be used with some controls.
28For example, it cannot be used with live video.
29That means police can only review images that have already been gathered.
30Parker, from the Security Industry Association, said the state is the first in the nation to require the software first be approved for use by a U.S. government agency.
31New York City Mayor Eric Adams is a former member of the city police department.
32He said facial recognition software could be used safely under existing rules.
33Other states, such as Washington, are putting rules in place that require police departments to show that the software works under the same conditions as it will be used in day-to-day life.
34In California, the use of facial recognition with body cameras may come back on January 1, 2023.
35Jennifer Jones is a lawyer for the ACLU in Northern California.
36She said news reports about crime are permitting police departments to re-start conversations about the software.
37"Police departments are exploiting people's fears" about crime in order to gain more power, she said, adding that new technology is "pushed in moments of crisis."
38I'm Dan Friedell.
1From 2019 through 2021, many American state and city governments passed laws restricting the use of facial recognition software in crime prevention. 2Facial recognition is a way of using software to identify an individual by matching their face to a database of images. Studies at the time found the technology less successful at correctly identifying Black people than white people. So, under pressure from social justice organizations, many states put restrictions in place. 3Now, local governments across the United States are starting to use facial recognition software again. The move comes as crime in the country has increased. At the same time, software companies say the technology has improved and no longer incorrectly recognizes Black people. 4In the coming months, the states of Virginia and California will permit local police to use the recognition programs. Before this year, Vermont did not permit the software, but now officers can use the systems in cases of child sexual abuse. 5In New Orleans, Louisiana, murder reports rose 67 percent over the last two years compared with the previous two. And police in the southern city are set to start using the technology later this month. 6The leader of the New Orleans police department is Shaun Ferguson. He said the "technology is needed to solve these crimes and to hold individuals accountable." 7Improved technology 8Ongoing research by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has shown facial recognition technology is getting better. And testing from the Department of Homeland Security found the software is better at recognizing people of all skin colors. 9But not all government agencies are certain about the improvements. 10The General Services Administration reviews companies that want to work for the U.S. government. It recently said the tools do not work well enough when studying African Americans. In addition, the U.S. government is forming a group to study facial recognition and its use in police work. 11Jake Parker works for the Security Industry Association, a trade group that represents software companies. He said there is a "growing interest" in the technology if it is used in "a nondiscriminatory way that benefits communities." 12One company that makes the software is Clearview AI. It recently settled a legal action brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The ACLU said Clearview violated the privacy of billions of people by collecting photos and information taken from social media without permission. Clearview, which helps police find matches in its social media database, said it welcomes "any regulation that helps society ... while limiting potential downsides." 13Limited use of software 14Starting on July 1, police in Virginia will be able to use facial recognition tools that have 98 percent or higher accuracy based on the NIST test. The software could be used with some controls. For example, it cannot be used with live video. That means police can only review images that have already been gathered. 15Parker, from the Security Industry Association, said the state is the first in the nation to require the software first be approved for use by a U.S. government agency. 16New York City Mayor Eric Adams is a former member of the city police department. He said facial recognition software could be used safely under existing rules. 17Other states, such as Washington, are putting rules in place that require police departments to show that the software works under the same conditions as it will be used in day-to-day life. 18In California, the use of facial recognition with body cameras may come back on January 1, 2023. Jennifer Jones is a lawyer for the ACLU in Northern California. She said news reports about crime are permitting police departments to re-start conversations about the software. 19"Police departments are exploiting people's fears" about crime in order to gain more power, she said, adding that new technology is "pushed in moments of crisis." 20I'm Dan Friedell. 21Dan Friedell adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by Reuters. 22Write to us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. 23Words in This Story 24accountable- n. required to show responsibility for problems that may occur 25benefit - n. to be useful or helpful 26regulation - n. an official rule that says how something should be done 27potential - n. something that may happen in the future 28accuracy- n. the ability to work without making mistakes 29exploit - v. to use something in a way that helps you unfairly