Democrats press Justice Department on police use of facial recognition

Democratic senators pressed the Department of Justice (DOJ) on police use of facial recognition tools in a letter Thursday.

“In recent years, facial recognition and other biometric technologies have become widely used by law enforcement agencies.” letter To Attorney General Merrick Garland: “However, these technologies can be unreliable and inaccurate, especially when it comes to race and ethnicity.”

Signers of the letter include Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and John Fetter. They include Senator Mann (D-Pennsylvania) and Ben Cardin (D-Maryland). ), Peter Welch (D-Vermont), Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), Tina Smith (D-Minnesota), LaFonza Butler (D-Calif.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) ), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Cory Booker (D.N.J.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) Bernie Sanders (Iowa, Vermont), Gary Peters (D-Michigan) and Mark Kelly (D-Arizona).

The senators cited cases in which black people were arrested “based largely or entirely on inaccurate facial recognition matches” and the use of certain biometric technology could violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. There are concerns that there is a risk of sexual harassment.

“The law prohibits intentional discrimination as well as discriminatory effects,” the letter continues. “Title VI therefore limits the ability of grant recipients funded by agencies like the Department of Justice to implement programs and technologies that may cause discrimination.”

The letter also asks the Justice Department to respond to a series of questions by late February, including training on the use of facial recognition technology and compliance with civil rights laws.

“We are deeply concerned that facial recognition technology can reinforce racial bias in our nation's criminal justice system and lead to arrests based on false evidence,” the letter said.

Additionally, “Errors in facial recognition technology can forever change the lives of Americans. If there is evidence that errors systematically discriminate against communities of color, we will be required to fund these technologies. may facilitate violations of federal civil rights laws.”