US state bill would put more restrictions on cops’ use of facial recognition

Fewer than half of facial recognition searches requested by police in Massachusetts returned a match, according to a report by the U.S. state.

A mere fourteen requests made between September 1, 2022, and October 1, 2023 yielded one potential match each for six searches. The mandated report was compiled by the Massachusetts Public Safety and Security Office.

It’s not the kind of record likely to assuage skeptics of face biometrics for identification of criminal suspects.

The report didn’t say what results, if any, came of the potential matches against the Massachusetts State Police’s Issuance 360 database, apparently referring to Idemia I&S’ driver’s license management software.

(One involved an unidentified death and another an unresponsive person. Another request followed a reported rape. Yet another request involved sex trafficking/an endangered juvenile. The rest were used in fraud and theft investigations.)

Last fall, The Boston Herald reported on a state bill that would put more restrictions on the use of facial recognition in most cases except emergency situations.

The legislation would force police agencies for the first time to get warrants before using the code and make the state police the hub for facial recognition searches. Under existing laws, AI can only be used to investigate “serious” crime.

The politicians sponsoring the bill want emergency situations exempt from their warrant requirement.

The American Civil Liberties Union favors the bill.

Article Topics

biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  criminal ID  |  facial recognition  |  police