Dems question federal agencies over use of facial recognition technology

A trio of Democratic senators is probing federal agencies’ use of facial recognition software amid concerns about Amazon’s sale of such technology to law enforcement.

“As [facial recognition] technologies have increased in availability and accuracy, and decreased in cost, we understand that as a law enforcement tool this technology would appear attractive,” Democratic Sens. Ron Wyden (Ore.), Cory Booker (N.J.) and Ed Markey (Mass.) wrote in a letter Friday to federal agencies.

{mosads}“However, this technology comes with inherent risks, including the compromising of Americans’ right to privacy, as well as racial and gender bias,” they added.

The senators sent their letter to 39 government agencies including the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, whose potential use of the technology has been hotly questioned by the agency’s opponents.

In their letter, the senators asked the agencies a series of questions about facial recognition software, including if they had ever used the technology and if so how; what state and local agencies they assist in using facial recognition technology; and if they use the technology in real time to analyze faces captured on video cameras.

Their probe follows an American Civil Liberties Union study that found that Amazon’s facial recognition software, Rekognition, misidentified 28 members of Congress as individuals arrested and charged with crimes.

Other members of Congress in both chambers wrote letters to Amazon on Thursday questioning them about the facial recognition software.

In May, lawmakers also voiced their concern in separate letters to Amazon.

Lawmakers say that they’re concerned about the technology — which is consistently less accurate on individuals with darker complexions — possibly harming communities of color that may already experience racial biases in policing.

Advocacy groups, as well as employees at companies that have said that they’re contracting facial recognition services to the government, have also criticized the government’s use of the technology.