You’re right that cameras are everywhere now. And I think we are past the point as a society where people think that someone who takes your picture steals your soul or anything.
But facial recognition implies identification, for some purpose. Like entering a country as a non-citizen. Countries have a responsibility to make sure that people who visit are who they say they are, and are not using stolen credentials. Modern biometrics make this much easier (and faster). The last time I entered the UK from the US, I checked in at a kiosk. They scanned my passport, took my picture, made sure I had the proper paperwork, and sent me along without talking to a human.
But other countries that do this all acknowledge that the facial recognition may fail. That stand of 20 or so kiosks did have humans watching them, and if someone’s biometrics failed to identify them they would still get talked to by a human, just like in the past.
But that is not what ICE is doing. They are using the facial recognition in order to grab people more efficiently, and give them an excuse to ignore people’s valid identification. That’s why the fact that these recognition technologies have a higher failure rate for PoC is not a bug for them, it’s a feature. They ignore lawful documentation, and confiscate it. Then, when that person finally gets released, they keep the documentation, ensuring that at the next encounter they will not have any way to escape.
This is not supposed to happen in America. I had an uncle who fought in WWII, shit like this is what he was fighting, back when we were the good guys.
You’re right that cameras are everywhere now. And I think we are past the point as a society where people think that someone who takes your picture steals your soul or anything.
But facial recognition implies identification, for some purpose. Like entering a country as a non-citizen. Countries have a responsibility to make sure that people who visit are who they say they are, and are not using stolen credentials. Modern biometrics make this much easier (and faster). The last time I entered the UK from the US, I checked in at a kiosk. They scanned my passport, took my picture, made sure I had the proper paperwork, and sent me along without talking to a human.
But other countries that do this all acknowledge that the facial recognition may fail. That stand of 20 or so kiosks did have humans watching them, and if someone’s biometrics failed to identify them they would still get talked to by a human, just like in the past.
But that is not what ICE is doing. They are using the facial recognition in order to grab people more efficiently, and give them an excuse to ignore people’s valid identification. That’s why the fact that these recognition technologies have a higher failure rate for PoC is not a bug for them, it’s a feature. They ignore lawful documentation, and confiscate it. Then, when that person finally gets released, they keep the documentation, ensuring that at the next encounter they will not have any way to escape.
This is not supposed to happen in America. I had an uncle who fought in WWII, shit like this is what he was fighting, back when we were the good guys.