The Security Industry Association (SIA) – a leading trade association representing security solutions providers stands in strong opposition to the Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act, originally introduced in 2020 and reintroduced June 15 by Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.). SIA publicly opposed the bill’s initial introduction, which largely resembles the current version put forth in the 117th Congress.
If approved, the legislation would impose a blanket ban on most federal, state and local use of nearly all biometric and related image analytics technologies, which threatens the legitimate, documented benefits of facial recognition technologies used by law enforcement.
Such legitimate, documented benefits of facial recognition technology in the United States includes:
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Identifying individuals who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021;
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Reuniting victims of human trafficking with their families and loved ones;
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Detecting the use of fraudulent documentation by non-citizens at air ports of entry;
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Aiding counterterrorism investigations in critical situations; and
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Exonerating innocent individuals falsely accused of crimes.
“Rather than impose sweeping moratoriums, SIA encourages Congress to propose balanced legislation that promulgates reasonable safeguards to ensure that facial recognition technology is used ethically, responsibly and under appropriate oversight and that the United States remains the global leader in driving innovation,” explained Don Erickson, SIA Chief Executive Officer.
Such approaches and recommendations have been reflected in the following areas supported by SIA:
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The U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, which was applauded by SIA in June of this year following its passage in the Senate, which authorizes the National Science Foundation (NSF) to disburse funds for research and development initiatives on key technology areas, including biometrics
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Increased funding to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Image Analysis Unit, which will expand NIST’s testing infrastructure and computing power necessary to enhance NIST’s Facial Recognition Vendor Test Program
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Direct additional NSF funding to historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions and other minority institutions to develop interdisciplinary research focused on facial recognition algorithmic development to provide students with firsthand knowledge about the challenges and opportunities presented by these advanced technologies, including issues surrounding performance differentials and bias mitigation
SIA is committed to promoting policies that support innovation in security and life safety technologies and supports U.S. leadership in key technology areas, including biometrics.
(Across the nation, Law Enforcement Organizations are inundated every day with photographic and video evidence in their Criminal Investigation Divisions. NEC’s NeoFace® WideNet is designed to assist law enforcement agencies by turning their mugshot repositories interfaced with our NIST award winning Facial Recognition solution into Facial Recognition as a Service for Law Enforcement. For the first time, multiple agencies will be able to share their mugshots. A key benefit to the criminal case investigation is the advantage of quick processing of facial evidence, coupled with its ability to rapidly generate a list of persons of interest – saving valuable time in the investigations of cases containing facial video evidence, thus reducing the investigator’s caseload. Courtesy of NEC Corporation of America and YouTube.)
In May, SIA joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and a group of other associations in sending a letter to President Biden expressing concern with blanket moratoriums on facial recognition and advocating for a combination of technological safeguards and policy measures to effectively mitigate any risks associated with the technology and ensure that it is developed and used responsibly.
SIA also recently sent a letter to President Biden and Vice President Harris urging the administration and Congress to consider policies that enable American leadership in developing biometric technologies; issued policy principles that guide the commercial sector, government agencies and law enforcement on how to use facial recognition in a responsible and ethical manner; released comprehensive public polling on support for facial recognition use across specific applications; and publish a list of successful uses of the technology.
SIA believes facial recognition must be used only for purposes that are lawful, ethical and nondiscriminatory.
To explore SIA’s new principles for development and deployment of facial recognition tech across safety and security applications, please visit https://www.securityindustry.org/2020/07/16/facial-recognition-success-stories-showcase-positive-use-cases-of-the-technology/.
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