Facial recognition is anti-Black technology that gets used by police forces in racist ways. It struggles with dark skin, misidentifies Black people, and has a proven track record of being used against us. Some cities have banned it, but others had different plans.
The city of New Orleans denied that it was using facial recognition technology for policing, but it turns out that wasn’t true! The city has now confirmed it’s using it, despite years of saying the opposite. They’re working with “state and federal partners” to do so – and that provides more context.
By working with federal partners, they’re able to circumvent certain rules. In cities like New York, this tech has been used to track and harass Black activists. That’s why Black people in cities like Detroit have pushed back against its use.
Black people should not accept the use of facial recognition technology, and not just because they deceived the public to use a form of surveillance we know to be discriminatory!
Facial recognition is clearly something that won’t make us or our communities safer.
As we fight against all the discriminatory forms of policing in the criminal justice system, it’s crucial to keep surveillance in mind. Look into your local police department and how they may or may not be surveilling you. Say NO to facial recognition when you see it – before it sees you!