United States: in Boston, the reliability of facial recognition questioned

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In the United States, Boston City Council has voted to ban city officials from using facial recognition. This technology is accused of being particularly unsuitable for identifying people from the black minority.

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From our correspondent in Washington , Anne Corpet

The measure was voted unanimously by the city council of Boston, the second American city after San Francisco to give up this computer tool. "  At a time when our community is asking for change, we do not want to invest in technology that studies say reinforces systemic racism,  " said one of the elected officials. Facial recognition is mistaken in 35% of the cases in the identification of black women according to an MIT study and activists who demonstrate against racial bias on the police are demanding the abandonment of this technology.

Last January, an African-American spent thirty hours in prison because a software estimated that his photo corresponded to the image of a thief of watches retransmitted by a surveillance camera. Robert Williams had been arrested and handcuffed at his home in front of his wife and two young daughters. The police then recognized a computer error. It is the first time that the failure of facial recognition is documented on a specific case in the United States.

Boston renounces facial recognition. According to an MIT study, this technology is particularly biased in identifying minorities. She would make 35% errors in the identification of black women. https://t.co/LbRvKKZLYR

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