Dark Side of Facial Recognition

Remember when the first smartphone was introduced? All that processing power in your palm – seemed like something out of a science-fiction novel. As consumers began to adopt the new technology, new features were added to keep the experience fulfilling.

Camera phones had been around for a while back then, but smartphones took the whole concept of having a camera in your pocket to a new level. You could now instantly send high-definition selfies to loved ones and add filters and geo-tags to make your pictures stand out.

Technological innovation met human ingenuity, and the two lived in perfect harmony. Even more apps and features were added to take advantage of the available technology. FaceID revolutionized security by utilizing facial recognition technology to secure your phone.

Of course, Apple’s FaceID wasn’t the only app that was doing this. Almost every smartphone on the planet has some kind of facial recognition built into it. The feature is innocent enough and actually quite useful if you trust the people who gain access to your facial recognition data on the backend.

Unfortunately, the revelations of social media giants like Facebook using personal data to drive ad revenue did nothing to make us more cynical of this technology. Indeed facial recognition technology has a dark side to it.

While you may receive great convenience when using it, it’s important to know what you’re trading it for. The fact that it’s become so ubiquitous means that people don’t really critically engage with its impact on social and corporate practices.

Today we’ll look at how facial recognition technology is being utilized by law enforcement and corporations to further their aims, often at the expense of your civil liberties.

Misuses of Facial Recognition Technology

Here are just some of how law enforcement agencies and corporations are misusing facial recognition technology.

Post-Privacy World

Following the events of September 11^th, the patriot act was introduced in the United States. This law gave law enforcement agencies unprecedented powers that were needed to ensure that the crimes committed against the United States were answered for.

Here we are, almost 20 years from that day, and the Patriot Act is still alive and well. What was a well-meaning and probably necessary law at the time has turned into a nationwide surveillance project that infringes upon the rights of ordinary people like you and me?

That was the beginning of the post-privacy world, and facial recognition technology has only accelerated its impact. Law enforcement agencies today, like the FBI and most state police departments, maintain a vast database of facial recognition data.

This, similar to the Patriot act referenced above, was introduced as a well-meaning measure to catch criminals, monitor known suspects in cases, and track individuals under investigation remotely. Once again, it mutated into something far worse.

The database was not enough for the agency; they acquired pictures from driver’s licenses and other identification methods to increase the dataset. This is where a line was crossed. Most reasonable people would have nothing against the FBI having a picture of them because they haven’t committed any crimes.

Yet, it is unsettling that ordinary Americans are subjected to even the slightest bit of suspicion. Furthermore, it is in complete contrast to the principle of assumed innocence. This is why it is alarming that the FBI has such a database and saw nothing wrong in maintaining it.

Uncharted Territory

The worse thing of all is that technology is still in its infancy. This creates its own set of issues that need to be highlighted. Let’s begin with the obvious one; there is no consensus on the correct usage of the technology. Since it’s something new, law enforcement officers and agencies are still figuring out how best to deploy it.

Unfortunately, when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail, as the old saying goes. When you provide a technology that is far beyond the expertise of police and other law enforcement agencies, they’re simply going to start using it and see what happens.

This scientific trial-and-error methodology isn’t highly appreciated in this case because it can genuinely affect people’s lives. For instance, if the database flags a person based on their face matching with a known criminal, that shouldn’t necessarily mean that that is definitely the person.

If law enforcement officers suddenly barge into their homes or surround them as they enjoy a meal, it could create a situation that creates unwanted fatalities. This is before we even consider where this data is coming from.

Furthermore, artificial intelligence also presents racial biases. Considering that this is something that technology should ideally fix, it would probably deepen prejudice and racial tension in a situation like this. If minorities will be unfairly targeted by facial recognition, it is important that the decision to use it in law enforcement be overturned, at least for the time being.

The second area of concern is that the data comes from a lot of sources. Some of these are credible, and some are not so much. This creates problems of its own. How can you determine whether the particular face being flagged right now is based on a reliable data source or not? You can’t! This is why in its current form, the use of facial recognition is irresponsible.

Yet, law enforcement agencies continue to use it. They continue to add new data to their ever-growing repository without even stopping to consider if it’s a good idea or not. This brings us to the final issue. There’s practically no regulation when it comes to facial recognition.

Bureaucracy is often considered as being too soft on tech companies. Part of the reason for this is that not many people understand the underlying technology, let alone its societal impact. For there to be any regulation of this technology, there first needs to be a shared understanding of the terms.

Facial recognition technology is driven by artificial intelligence, which itself is something half-baked at the moment. So, how can technology that is fundamentally unreliable be in active use by law enforcement agencies? For every success story, there will be hundreds of shots in the dark.

This is why lawmakers need to step up and introduce strict legislation that reins in the improper use of artificial intelligence technology.

Facial Recognition Data Mining

There is also something to be said about the cavalier way some of the biggest tech companies have approached facial recognition. Much like everything else with big tech, it all starts with making our lives easier. However, as we’ve seen in the past, there is often very little consideration for the unintended consequences of these innovations.

Google, Facebook and Microsoft maintain a large database of facial data. Whether this has been acquired after the user’s consent and its eventual purpose is unclear at this time. Like most things in this space, though, the old adage applies: “If something is free, you are the product”.

People need to be more concerned about how this facial data will be used in the future, and the fact that very few are concerned is nothing short of alarming. When it comes to big tech companies, one thing is certain; it will undoubtedly be used to pad the bottom line somehow.

This isn’t necessarily bad by itself, but if the data has been acquired under false pretences or without the user’s consent, there can be no defending it.

Final Word

It is important to remember that facial recognition is not evil. Most innovation comes from a desire to improve the world. The issue arises when people within society decide to use it improperly. We’ve highlighted how artificial intelligence driven police and corporations are misusing facial recognition to make you aware of the problems that surround you.

Knowing is not enough, though! You must use this information and act accordingly. Don’t simply assume that the people in charge are doing what’s best and don’t implicitly trust any technology. Critically engage with everything that surrounds us daily – the origin of facial recognition is in the camera, after all!