Facial recognition technology (FRT) is rapidly gaining traction globally – for all different use cases. A recent survey conducted by The Government Accountability Office found that 18 of 24 federal agencies evaluated are presently using FRT. That’s 75%! Ten agencies said they were planning to expand its use. Agencies are using FRT for everything from identifying crime victims, to verifying the identities of people accessing government websites, controlling building access and more.
Clearly, these agencies are using FRT for useful and even life-saving purposes. However, this technology is susceptible to misuse, creating legitimate privacy and cybersecurity concerns. For example, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, expressed concerns over the technology when she called for a freeze on certain AI-based technologies, including facial recognition. She used the example of China’s social credit score and asked governments to “halt the scanning of people’s faces in real time until they can show the technology is accurate and meets privacy and data protection standards.”