From the Washington Post: Arrested by AI: Police ignore standards after facial recognition matches

Part of the point of eduction is to ensure that we can preserve civil liberties. This includes freedom from arbitrary decisions by law enforcement.

It's difficult to do so when technology continues to evolve and surveillance becomes easier, as well as the ability to select criminal suspects. 

But these have a history of making errors. Police departments aren't always good at establishing and following procedures to either prevents or correct these errors

- Click here for the article.

A Washington Post investigation into police use of facial recognition software found that law enforcement agencies across the nation are using the artificial intelligence tools in a way they were never intended to be used: as a shortcut to finding and arresting suspects without other evidence.

Most police departments are not required to report that they use facial recognition, and few keep records of their use of the technology. The Post reviewed documents from 23 police departments where detailed records about facial recognition use are available and found that 15 departments spanning 12 states arrested suspects identified through AI matches without any independent evidence connecting them to the crime — in most cases contradicting their own internal policies requiring officers to corroborate all leads found through AI.

Some law enforcement officers using the technology appeared to abandon traditional policing standards and treat software suggestions as facts, The Post found. One police report referred to an uncorroborated AI result as a “100% match.” Another said police used the software to “immediately and unquestionably” identify a suspected thief.

For more: 

- United States Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division: Artificial Intelligence and Civil Rights.

- United States Department of State: Risk Management Profile for Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights.