Police body-cam maker Axon says no to facial recognition, for now

Police body-cam maker Axon says no to facial recognition, for now

Facial recognition is a controversial enough topic without bringing in everyday policing and the body cameras many (but not enough) officers wear these days. But Axon, which makes many of those cameras, solicited advice on the topic from and independent research board, and in accordance with its findings has opted not to use facial recognition for the time being.


The company, formerly known as Taser, established its “AI and Policing Technology Ethics Board” last year, and the group of 11 experts from a variety of fields just issued their first report, largely focused (by their own initiative) on the threat of facial recognition.

The advice they give is unequivocal: don’t use it — now or perhaps ever.


More specifically, their findings are as follows:


  • Facial recognition simply isn’t good enough right now for it to be used ethically.

  • Don’t talk about “accuracy,” talk about specific false negatives and positives, since those are more revealing and relevant.

  • Any facial recognition model that is used shouldn’t be overly customizable, or it will open up the possibility of abuse.

  • Any application of facial recognition should only be ini ..

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