Facial recognition technology is #prejudiced, plain and simple. The technology itself is ineffective and dangerous, and it should definitely be banned. 

The City of Pittsburgh wants its police to be able to use facial recognition technology for investigations. There are compelling reasons for banning this practice, as it has done more harm than good. 

Just ask Robert Williams, a black man who was arrested by Detroit police in front of his wife and young daughters. Facial recognition technology identified him as a suspect in a robbery, so he spent that night in jail, being interrogated about some watches he supposedly stole from a luxury store. He was released the next day because he had been misidentified by this supposedly advanced technology. The police department’s lawyer said, “New protocols have been put in place by DPD to prevent similar issues from occurring." Is that supposed to be comforting?

The facial identification mechanism runs on a technology that has shown itself to be biased and faulty. This mass monitoring tool is very inaccurate when recognizing non-white individuals, and police know this. So why are they still convinced that they should be using it?

In August 2020, Corey O’Connor (who was a City Councilman at the time) submitted a bill asking the government to regulate the practice of facial recognition technology by police. The police have to get permission from the City Council to use the technology. This is the first step to restoring the liberty of the citizens to exist without racial biases.

Several different governments in the US and abroad have already banned the use of facial identification technology. This wouldn't be the case if the tool performed well. What we need is a technology that can recognize people on a watch list, not one that only identifies them on the basis of their skin color.

“When we're already talking about vulnerable communities, we're putting people in a predicament where they could be misidentified, if not arrested and charged,” said Danitra Sherman, the ACLU campaign manager for Pennsylvania. 

Facial recognition technology is a practice that targets people based on racial prejudices. It violates our privacy, which is dear to us. Imagine your every action being monitored and recorded: whether you meet someone for lunch across the street, attend an art gala, or stay home and rest, you are under constant surveillance. Law abiding citizens shouldn't allow themselves to be treated that way. 

As far as I'm concerned, Pittsburgh didn't go far enough by requiring City Council approval for police to use the technology. The government should impose a total ban on this practice instead of just limiting its usage. Why would anyone be in favor of using a system that unfairly targets minorities? 

In recent years, several stories of racism have come forward in Pittsburgh and America as a whole. We don't need a broken mechanism with its so-called "advanced algorithm" that is in all actuality a threat to our safety and privacy.