Facial recognition technology has ingrained itself in our lives being used in the newest phones and tablets. I find this technology to be very useful, especially because I hate remembering passwords and I always have sweaty hands making the fingerprint recognition useless at times. I must say that this technology should become used more and more in our society. But, have you ever thought of the bad that this technology could bring? Portland is recently debating on the official ban on the use of facial recognition technology. This ban points to facial recognition software being used in public, such as a store that used this in its entrance. Facial recognition software searched through its databases of people’s faces in order to identify the individual. The reason for the ban is because it infringes on people’s civil privacy rights. The question that arises is, does Portland have a point here, and should we actually ban the use of this technology?
Everton Bailey Jr. of The Oregonian writes about this ban. To go deeper into the details here, the ban will not affect the Face ID of iPhones and such and will apply to both business usage and government usage. I along with many others feel that Portland should reconsider this ban to be more specific towards certain uses of this technology rather than an overall ban. There are places where this technology is being used for good. Such a ban is over the top we should allow this technology to flow in the society for further practical use.
I support a ban on facial recognition. I am among the demographic that supposedly has the best luck with FR. I am a white male with a pretty normal looking face and even the Face ID on my iPhone does not work, or it even works too well you could say. my first complaint is that its not specific enough, my dad and I look very alike except I have a very different hair cut, a more defined facial structure and ya know, not wrinkles…. sorry dad. However, with all that considered my dad can hold my phone up to his face and it opens right up. my other complaint is that if I have my glasses on, or even change my facial hair it doesn’t work at least 25% of the time which becomes quite frustrating. I know this is just how I get into my phone but if there were false positives like this when more is on the line it could be potentially disastrous.
I can see why people feel that the use of facial recognition software in public without their consent is a violation of their right to privacy. Though, I can also see the good that the application of facial recognition in public could bring. Criminals (i.e shoplifters) could be quickly identified after they commit such a crime, when before store owners could, at best, rely on a grainy image from a security camera. So while it is useful, I do think that citizens should have the right to know when and where there is facial recognition software pointed at them. Just like how currently stores will have signs reading “Smile, you’re on camera!”, companies who wish to use facial recognition software would have to make you aware that they are using it. That way if you have a problem with it, you could just avoid that area. I agree with you in that a ban was over-the-top, but I think my idea could be a solution to the problem.
I support this ban on facial recognition technology. I think it can be useful for individuals for security reasons, just like how iPhones now have facial scanners to unlock phones as opposed to the old fingerprint ID that they used to use. But I think once private companies start collecting data on people’s faces and storing that data to be used at other times can potentially turn into a security risk. It is unknown who possesses the information that companies keep on facial recognition and what they could do with it if it falls into the wrong hands or someone decides to act maliciously with it. I think there are other ways data on people can be kept, ways that people can be identified by using something that they can give you authority to recognize them by. As opposed to collecting data on people’s faces that they do not consent to. I think this is both a privacy and security issue. The technology is useful for sure, and when controlled by an individual it is very helpful. But this technology, in my opinion, should not be used on people when they do not consent to their data being collected. So, I think this ban should stay in effect.
I do believe that this new form of facial recognition software that is being developed is a great advancement of todays society. We would be able to help catch criminals faster using this software, but in the end this does rob us of some of our privileges. Look at what is happening in China. People are now earning a social credit score based on their daily actions that affect their overall lifestyle. This technology is a great advancement but it comes at the cost our rights not to be tracked whenever we leave our houses. The more that we allow cities, companies, and governments this ability to look in on us the more of our own rights we lose. It is hard to argue this because of the amount progress it has made in the last couple of years, but we need to reflect as a society and come to understand what we will be losing this sacrifice.
Facial Recognition is a new form of technology in the last couple of years that have had many new applications as we continue to have advancements in technology. But this technology has come with its questions and privacy concerns from certain parties. I think as you brought up it is very handy for things like facial recognition on your iPhone, so you don’t have to type in a password, and is basically impossible to crack. Some other applications of this technology such as facial recognition on cameras in stores among other places are where the problem lies. The issue at hand is that people think it is a violation of civil privacy rights. I can see where they are coming from and understand why people would not want to be monitored wherever they go. On the contrary, this type of technology does have its advantages. For example, it is very helpful to pinpoint locations of people who have committed crimes or anything where the government is trying to catch them. This technology makes it a lot easier for them if they can pinpoint the locations of people or history of where they have been. But for your average person, I can see why they feel like facial recognition technology is violating their civil privacy rights.