Virginia Lawmakers OK Lifting Ban on Facial Technology Use

Virginia lawmakers have passed legislation to lift a ban on facial recognition technology and to permit police to use it in certain scenarios, like helping to identify individuals under reasonable suspicion of committing crimes.

The measure forbids the technology’s use for surveillance or monitoring.

Sponsor Sen. Scott Surovell (D-VA) said the technology, when used appropriately, can be a valuable tool for solving and prosecuting crimes more efficiently.

Some lawmakers opposed lifting the ban, raising issues about privacy, civil rights violations, and research indicating facial recognition software generates higher error rates when used to identify people of color.

Others said the new bill has "guardrails" to guarantee that law enforcement must comply with rules on when and how to use the technology.

From Associated Press
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From "Managing Multicore Memory"

MIT News (09/13/13) Larry Hardesty


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