Government and Business Applications of Facial Recognition
The federal government utilizes facial recognition software commonly at federal points of interest such as border crossings and within their own records for FBI investigations. There are policies in place that restrict the ability of the FBI to use photographs as positive identification within a case, however the organization is free to utilize photographs as clues to possible identifying evidence. The FBI uses a large repository of photographic data called the Interstate Photo System (IPS) and acts upon this data with a Next Generation Identification System (NGIS). This data corroborates individuals’ corresponding fingerprint data with face photos and other identifying information for the access of the FBI. According to Brandom (2021), on the state government level, a few states such as Massachusetts and Maine have passed legislature with intent to limit the ability of state governments to use facial recognition software.
ACLU and Criticism of the Technology
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has made criticizing statements regarding the privacy issues surrounding facial recognition software and have stated that they are handling the issue with seriousness and concern. Balli (2021) stated that the creators of Facebook, the Meta company, decided to stop utilizing facial recognition software within their platform in response to the declared privacy concerns of their users and those of government. Brandom (2021) stated concerns about an innate racial bias within facial recognition technology that raises additional significant issues surrounding the topic.
Facial Recognition and Individual Privacy
Facial recognition technology becomes in direct opposition to individual privacy when installed in public spaces. The technology could be implemented to use as a biometric authentication method for retail purchases, entrance keys, or even for criminal penalties. According to PrivacyRights.org (2011), prevalent use of facial recognition software in a public space would lead to complete loss of individual anonymity while improving the commercial ability of demographic targeting in marketing and sales. I believe that our individual anonymity is a large part of what makes us feel comfortable and safe in public environments. I think that with broad application of facial recognition software we would lose that sense of comfortable anonymity within society’s public spaces.
Private Businesses’ Potential Abuse of the Technology
The capabilities of facial recognition technology are not yet common knowledge, and the ethical considerations of its possible applications are still being considered by the technology community. Facial recognition is often used in military applications for targeting individuals, but the same basic technology is also available for commercial use by private business. The scalability of facial recognition software can easily create an over-arching and controlling architecture that has a high risk of important personal data being leaked in the case of a breach.
Advocacy for Facial Recognition
There is a market understanding that many customers will push back at a privacy over-reach if it becomes too concerning. However, the commercial world will utilize any tool at its disposal if it aids in reaching more customers, making more sales, or increasing profit margins. Facial recognition allows businesses to give personalized experiences to customers as they enter a store or could target them with coupons after they were recognized at a corresponding location. The ethical components of facial recognition technology will find polarizing effect upon the minds of technology leaders, some of whom will embrace the technology while others will choose not to use it citing ethical concerns.
IT Manager’s Perspective
As an IT manager, I would not encourage the use of facial recognition software in commercial applications. On the government level, I think that facial recognition software has valuable and viable applications in crime prevention and international security. The policies I would support as an IT manager would prioritize the individual privacy rights of my organization’s customers over leveraging technology with possible ethical ramifications. As a business, I would not want the legal responsibility of housing and protecting sensitive personal data from possible data breaches, even with the use of a third-party partner. I stand for proper authentication methods and a minimalist, need-to-know style of personal data sharing.
References
Balli, E. (2021). The ethical implications of facial recognition technology. Arizona State University. https://news.asu.edu/20211117-solutions-ethical-implications-facial-recognition-technology
Brandom, R. (2021). Most US government agencies are using facial recognition. The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/25/22641216/facial-recognition-gao-report-agency-dhs-cbp-fbi
Greco, K. (2019). Facial Recognition Technology: Ensuring Transparency in Government Use. FBI.gov. https://www.fbi.gov/news/testimony/facial-recognition-technology-ensuring-transparency-in-government-use
(2011). Facial Recognition is a Threat to Your Privacy. PrivacyRights.org. https://privacyrights.org/resources/facial-recognition-threat-your-privacy