I pushed back on our school's facial recognition system

Most people supported installing facial recognition at our school for safety. I worried about privacy and bias, so I did a test with photos under different conditions. Now we have rules to protect student data.

4 comments

4 Comments

the_troy1mo ago

The problem with facial recognition in schools goes back like ten years now. Adding some rules for data doesn't fix the main issue, which is the tech itself. These systems get it wrong way too often, especially for people of color. Your test probably showed that. A rule can't stop a false match from happening in real time. The only safe system is one that isn't tracking students' faces at all.

hill.margaret1mo ago

After seeing the error rates in a California school district's trial last year, I shifted my stance. I always thought stricter data handling could solve the privacy concerns. @the_troy's point about false matches for people of color really hit home, though. The tech itself is flawed, so no rule can make it truly safe.

margareto2612d ago

Been there trying to write policy around this stuff. You can't regulate away a bad algorithm, you just slow down the harm. Focus your energy on stopping the purchase, not managing the mess.

hollyl251mo ago

Feel for you fighting that fight mostly alone. Your test proved rules can't fix a broken system.