Group Defends Facial Recognition Use by Police in Massachusetts

“Every day facial recognition technologies help law enforcement to generate leads in cases, such as homicide, rape, armed robbery and other violent crime, as well as for non-enforcement reasons, including identifying elderly persons stricken with dementia, finding lost and missing children, identifying homeless persons with mental illness and identifying deceased persons,” explains Carl Szabo, Vice President and General Counsel of NetChoice.
“Every day facial recognition technologies help law enforcement to generate leads in cases, such as homicide, rape, armed robbery and other violent crime, as well as for non-enforcement reasons, including identifying elderly persons stricken with dementia, finding lost and missing children, identifying homeless persons with mental illness and identifying deceased persons,” explains Carl Szabo, Vice President and General Counsel of NetChoice.

Law enforcement agencies across the country use facial recognition technology to generate leads in criminal cases.

Not surprisingly, most Americans approve of this use of technology. Surveys show that a majority of Americans (55%) support the use of facial recognition when considering the impact on public safety and security.

Three out of four Americans think government should avoid strict limits on the use of facial recognition.

Women, in particular are opposed, with only 14% supporting limits on facial recognition at the expense of public safety.

But in Massachusetts, the state government is considering a broad-brush ban on the use of any facial recognition technology by the police.

This would handcuff law enforcement from dealing with modern threats to public safety with modern tools.

Such a ban would undermine the ability of the police to keep up with new forms of crime.

(City of Irving, Texas police department serves and protects a diverse population of over 250,000 people. To enhance their capabilities to identify suspects and criminal offenders they use NEC NeoFace® facial recognition software, a 2018 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program Winner. The robust software platform and algorithm provides reliable matching capability that is number one in the industry according to National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). See how the agency has incorporated this important biometric identity matching tool into their police operations. Courtesy of NEC America and YouTube. Posted on Mar 1, 2018.)

While there are many valid questions over the use of facial recognition, and thoughtful regulation should be welcomed, the government of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts should not place a blunt and draconian ban on the use of any facial recognition technology by the police.

NetChoice, a trade association committed to the use of technology that fosters free enterprise and free expression, has launched a campaign to protect the use of new technologies, such as facial recognition, for law enforcement in Massachusetts.

The campaign is powered by new survey data to educate Massachusetts residents and political stakeholders about these technologies: how they enable law enforcement to maintain public safety, and that most of the public oppose an all-out ban on the use of this technology by law enforcement.

NetChoice is inviting stakeholders, community leaders, and members of the public to sign a Change.org petition urging Massachusetts state lawmakers to reject the proposed moratorium on facial recognition use for law enforcement.

Carl Szabo, Vice President and General Counsel of NetChoice
Carl Szabo, Vice President and General Counsel of NetChoice

“Every day facial recognition technologies help law enforcement to generate leads in cases, such as homicide, rape, armed robbery and other violent crime, as well as for non-enforcement reasons, including identifying elderly persons stricken with dementia, finding lost and missing children, identifying homeless persons with mental illness and identifying deceased persons,” explains Carl Szabo, Vice President and General Counsel of NetChoice.

“A moratorium on facial recognition technology not only goes against what Bay Staters want, it denies law enforcement tools needed to help keep our communities safe.”

Survey data from Pew also shows a majority of Americans (56 percent) trust law enforcement to use facial recognition technology responsibly.

new poll by Savanta found Massachusetts residents are more supportive of allowing law enforcement to use facial recognition technology responsibly than the general population.

Courtesy of Change.org
Courtesy of Change.org

 The Savanta survey of Massachusetts residents shows:

  • 66 percent of Bay Staters say we should not deny law enforcement from using new technologies, such as facial recognition, to fight and deter crime.

  • 64 percent of Bay Staters agreed facial recognition technology has the potential to make communities safer.

  • 46 percent of Bay Staters said government should not strictly limit the use of facial recognition technology if it comes at the expense of the public’s safety.

Szabo added, “The survey results confirm that despite calls by some for a moratorium in Massachusetts, people across the state value this technology to keep their communities safe and help law enforcement do their jobs more effectively.”

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William "Bill" Bratton, former police commissioner of the New York Police Department (NYPD), the Boston Police Department (BPD) and former chief of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), will speak at the 2019 'ASTORS' Homeland Security Awards Luncheon at ISC East 2019, on Wednesday, November 20th, at the Jacob Javits Convention Center (Courtesy of Teneo Risk)
Bill Bratton, former police commissioner of the New York Police Department (NYPD), the Boston Police Department (BPD) and former chief of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), will speak at the 2019 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Luncheon at ISC East 2019, on Wednesday, November 20th, at the Jacob Javits Convention Center (Courtesy of Teneo Risk)

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2018 'ASTORS' Homeland Security Awards Presentation Luncheon
2018 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Presentation Luncheon

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