Podcasts Government On The Record Facial recognition technology is here. Can it be trusted?

Facial recognition technology is here. Can it be trusted?

Published: Dec. 13, 2023, 2:45 p.m.

Law-enforcement agencies, including those in Maryland, are making more use of facial recognition technology. This software attempts to identify human faces by matching images or video from surveillance cameras to massive databases of pictures.

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Proponents say it\u2019s an important tool to keep the public safe. Privacy advocates say it\u2019s a dangerous tool, far too likely to misidentify people. Some point to the experience of a Baltimore County man launched into a harrowing ordeal when police used facial recognition technology.

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We talk with Eyal Press, who went deep into what happened in the pages of the The New Yorker.

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Later in the show, we talk to a critic of facial recognition technology, Samantha Masters. She is with Organizing Black, a community organizing group in Baltimore city.

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Photo by Jonathan McIntosh, via Flickr.

Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472