WA Police’s facial recognition trial delivered strong results. But was it an ethical success?
WA’s live facial recognition technology was deemed successful. But what happens when it fails, and who bears the burden when it does?
The Western Australian Police Force recently completed a live facial recognition trial across metropolitan and regional Western Australia. Over the course of the trial, more than 900,000 faces were scanned, resulting in 209 alerts - notifications that a scanned face matched someone on a police watch list - and 79 arrests. The technology successfully identified and engaged 114 registered sex offenders.
While these results may appear to demonstrate a successful trial, key questions remain regarding the ethical implications of using this technology.
Privacy concerns were raised before and during the trial, with some arguing that the technology infringes on people's right to privacy by scanning large numbers of individuals in public spaces without their consent. Additionally, accuracy issues were noted, with eight incorrect alerts recorded during the trial. The technology may perform differently across various demographic groups, potentially leading to unequal outcomes for certain populations.
Transparency was also a concern, as the trial results provided limited information about the watch list itself and the procedures in place when errors occur. The results do not address the performance of the technology across different demographics or the fairness of the watch list inclusions. These concerns highlight the need for a more comprehensive evaluation of the ethical implications of using live facial recognition technology in policing.
Written by urgent.news from The Conversation AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
