Privacy activists allege that facial recognition software led to the first known wrongful arrest because of an incorrect facial match. The ACLU of Michigan made the allegation to the Detroit police department today and was first reported by Reuters.
Robert Williams, an African-American man spent over a day in custody this past January after facial recognition software matched his face to that of an alleged shoplifter. The case involved the theft of 5 watches stolen from a Shinola store in October 2018 totaling $3,800.
The ACLU requested that Detroit police stop using the software “as the facts of Mr. Williams’ case prove both that the technology is flawed and that investigators are not competent in making use of such technology.”
Documents show that Michigan state police have been using a face matching service from Rank One Computing.
Rank One dismissed concerns about individuals being wrongly identified due to its technology in last year. Citing U.S. government research about the high accuracy rate of its systems, the company called such concerns “misconceptions” in a blog post.
Photo by Geralt