Facial recognition technology is being used in police investigations and some critics believe it struggles to identify people of color.
Pembroke Pines and other cities try to identify criminals using facial recognition.
“This is going to be governed and managed, knowing that this is a tool of incredibly powerful use, but it’s also a highly suspect tool,” said Commissioner Angelo Castillo pushed for written guidelines governing how and when police can access the technology..
Pembroke Pines police has an agreement with the state to access the database, which is run out of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
“We’re not going to be using this in patrol cars, and we’re not going to be arresting people solely on how they appear,” said Castollo.
Florida’s ACLU weighed in, on these technologies “Pose a threat to our constitutional rights, but also to people of color and other marginalized groups who are more likely to be misidentified—and bear the consequences.”
Amazon stopped police from using its facial recognition technology for a year.
“Face recognition technology gives governments the unprecedented power to spy on us wherever we go. It fuels police abuse," said Nicole Ozer, technology and civil liberties director of the ACLU of Northern California. "This surveillance technology must be stopped."
Amazon said it has advocated for governments to put in place "stronger regulations to govern the ethical use of facial recognition technology. We hope this one-year moratorium might give Congress enough time to implement appropriate rules, and we stand ready to help if requested,” the company said.
The one-year moratorium on police use of Amazon does not include organizations that work closely with law enforcement to identify victims of child sexual exploitation and human trafficking.
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