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Should facial recognition be used to fight crime?

TASK - What do you think?
1) Should we use face recognition to fight crime?
2) Would you mind your face being scanned and used to help fight crime?

The Current Reality

In January 2020, the Metropolitan Police announced plans to use facial recognition cameras on London’s streets as a trial. Similar trials have taken place in shopping centres, museums and other public buildings across the country.
 

The software takes existing police photographs of suspects and criminals while scanning the faces of people that pass by the camera. The two faces are compared digitally for a match.
 

Campaigners argue that the cameras are an invasion of privacy and people may have had their faces scanned without their knowledge or consent. They also argue that the error rate of 1 in 1000 means that many hundreds of people may be wrongfully suspected of crimes they did not commit.

Should we use facial recognition software to
fight crime?

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TASK - What do you think?
3) Read the two quotes above. 
Who do you agree with?  Why do you think this?
 

4) Think of the other implications facial recognition might have.  Watch the clip below it shows what happens if face recognition could be used to tailor advertising to us. What problems might this cause?

TASK - Personal Response
 

  • Do you think that facial recognition will actually help catch criminals?

  • Do you think there is already enough CCTV in public spaces to prevent crime and catch criminals? 

  • Do you think that there are privacy issues with this software?

  • Do you think innocent people have nothing to worry about?
     

Write down your own personal thoughts and feelings on the topic.

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