The City Council today voted unanimously to bar police and other city agencies from using facial-surveillance software except for specific criminal investigations - and even then only if the data is not generated by city-owned cameras.
The proposal, which would also prohibit the city from buying data from companies that might use the technology, now goes to the mayor for his consideration. The proposal exempts systems, such as on phones, that use facial recognition solely for user authentication.
BPD says it does not currently use facial-surveillance technology because it is unreliable. A planned upgrade to the camera network BPD has in place around the city would include a facial-recognition module, but BPD has said it would ensure that is turned off at all times.
City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo (Hyde Park, Roslindale, Mattapan), who sponsored the proposal, says the measure would ensure Bostonians are not subject to misidentification or systemic racism - for example, the fact that some camera systems are not designed to deal well with darker-skinned faces.
In response to a question from Councilor Frank Baker (Dorchester), Arroyo said the proposal would not prohibit police from collecting photos from existing camera systems to find specific suspects, such as after the Marathon bombings.
"Let's not live in a society where we are constantly surveilling each other's faces," added Councilor Kenzie Bok (Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Fenway, Mission Hill).
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Comments
I don't care if you're an
By idc
Wed, 06/24/2020 - 12:45pm
I don't care if you're an anarchist, conservative, libertarian, socialist or moderate -- this is a WIN for all against unwarranted government surveillance!
BPD's verbal assurance isn't good enough
By anon
Wed, 06/24/2020 - 12:47pm
How about a city agency independent from the police makes sure this facial-recognition module isn't installed at all?
What does it mean that police can collect photos from existing camera systems? Does that mean a human has to do the comparisons to match the camera images with photos linked to people's names?
Of course we're all wearing masks now, so none if it will work anyway.
Good
By mg
Wed, 06/24/2020 - 12:52pm
See this story about how too many facial recognition systems are bad at identifying anyone but white males, which can lead to horrific situations.
How horrific is it, really?
By Refugee
Wed, 06/24/2020 - 4:41pm
How horrific is it, really? It's not like a T1000 is out terminating people based on facial recognition software matches.
You're right, false arrest
By CH
Wed, 06/24/2020 - 5:04pm
You're right, false arrest isn't a big deal. /s
Can we try it out on you so you can judge for yourself?
By Scratchie
Wed, 06/24/2020 - 7:31pm
Did you even read the article? The guy got arrested and thrown in jail for 30 hours, even after the police recognized that the facial recognition software had returned a false positive.
Would you like to give that a whirl so you can rank its horrificness? For some people, getting arrested could be a death sentence. Or it could cause them to lose their job. Are you up for that? Is that acceptable as "collateral damage"?
For some people, getting
By Refugee
Thu, 06/25/2020 - 10:22am
Please elaborate how getting arrested is a death sentence.
Seriously?
By Scratchie
Thu, 06/25/2020 - 10:56am
In which cave, specifically, have you been residing?
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d...
https://journalistsresource.org/studies/government...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6080222/
https://www.themarshallproject.org/records/543-dea...
That's not a "death sentence"
By Refugee
Thu, 06/25/2020 - 1:02pm
That's not a "death sentence". It's a misuse of language. Describing something as a death sentence suggests that you know there is a super high likelihood of death.
Are you unfamiliar with the
By Scratchie
Thu, 06/25/2020 - 1:20pm
Are you unfamiliar with the English language? I used the word "could" to indicate that there was an unknown, but greater than zero, likelihood of death.
Just give up. There exists a
By Refugee
Thu, 06/25/2020 - 4:12pm
Just give up. There exists a non-zero chance I will get bombed by ISIS when I go to the supermarket this weekend. That doesn't make my planned trip to the supermarket a "death sentence", using our vernacular. Inserting the would "could" doesn't fix it, either.
Either way, trying to prove a point by citing outlier cases doesn't help anybody. It only confuses things. There are valid concerns over privacy and mass surveillance with facial recognition. There are also valid concerns over excessive use of force by police. Those issues are separate.
Sure thing
By Scratchie
Thu, 06/25/2020 - 5:08pm
Whatever you say.
Cue Petty
By Will LaTulippe
Wed, 06/24/2020 - 8:15pm
You don't have to live like a refugee.
A planned upgrade to the
By anon
Wed, 06/24/2020 - 1:08pm
I'd prefer not to have to take BPD on its word. Let's hope this ban reshapes the planned upgrade rollout.
Did I leave that on?
By PerryD
Wed, 06/24/2020 - 1:21pm
"A planned upgrade to the camera network BPD has in place around the city would include a facial-recognition module, but BPD has said it would ensure that is turned off at all times."
Except when it isn't.
Did they not get the memo that no one trusts the police?
Good
By Will LaTulippe
Wed, 06/24/2020 - 1:45pm
Now defund cops and the Licensing Board while you're on this progressive kick.
https://boston.cbslocal.com/2020/06/24/boston-police-arrest-host
By DotRat4Eva
Wed, 06/24/2020 - 4:56pm
This headline is conveniently not reported. Mob attacks Boston Cops trying to stop a felon with a gun.
https://boston.cbslocal.com/2020/06/24/boston-poli...
Latest Russian/GOP troll farm tactic
By Brent Jeffries
Wed, 06/24/2020 - 6:38pm
I'm seeing this one a lot lately.
"Why is this article about this topic and not about some other topic?!?!?!"
or
"Why is no one talking about X in this article about Y?!?!?!"
Because "liberal media bias" or something.
World's tiniest violin right here
By anon
Fri, 06/26/2020 - 11:56am
And thus we see what happens when people's trust of these alleged "protectors" has dropped to zero.
Great. But why stop there,
By anon
Thu, 06/25/2020 - 7:14am
Great. But why stop there, what about all the other evidence evaluation techniques that are rife with error?
I think Councilor Arroyo needs to acknowledge that
By bulgingbuick
Thu, 06/25/2020 - 9:18am
facial recognition should also have no role in civil matters such as those involving sexual harassment.
"BPD says it does not
By anon
Fri, 06/26/2020 - 11:53am
"BPD says it does not currently use facial-surveillance technology because it is unreliable. A planned upgrade to the camera network BPD has in place around the city would include a facial-recognition module, but BPD has said it would ensure that is turned off at all times."
Prediction: within 5 years a scandal will break, that—
Mark my words, this will happen.
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