Western Australia live facial recognition trial results:1.4M faces, 122 arrests
Western Australia conducted a live facial recognition trial that scanned approximately 1.4 million faces and contributed to 122 arrests, according to results released from the program.
Why this matters: 1.4 million faces scanned. 122 arrests. That math should give you pause. The vast majority of people whose faces were captured and checked against a database were not suspected of anything. They were just present. Live facial recognition does not wait for a reason to look at you. It looks at everyone and sorts them afterward. That is a fundamental shift in how public space works. Australia has no federal law specifically governing this technology, which means the rules around what happens to that data, who sees it, and how long it is kept are still being figured out after the camera is already running.
Who should care: Privacy officers · Cybersecurity · General readers · Policy
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