ACLU Calls on Lawmakers to Immediately Stop Law Enforcement Use of Face Recognition Technology
Robert Williams, a Black man and Michigan resident, was wrongfully arrested because of a false face recognition match, according to an administrative complaint filed today by the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan.
Face recognition software purchased from DataWorks Plus by Michigan police combed through the driver’s license photos and falsely identified Robert Williams as the suspect.
“The sheer scope of police face recognition use in this country means that others have almost certainly been — and will continue to be — misidentified, if not arrested and charged for crimes they didn’t commit,” said Clare Garvie, senior associate with Georgetown Law’s Center on Privacy & Technology in an ACLU blog post.
The ACLU has also been leading nationwide efforts to defend privacy rights and civil liberties against the growing threat of face recognition surveillance, and is calling on Congress to immediately stop the use and funding of the technology.
Following years of advocacy by the ACLU and coalition partners, pressure from Congress, and nationwide protests against police brutality, Amazon and Microsoft earlier this month said they will not sell face recognition technology to police for some time.
