Facial recognition software has come a long way in the last few years. It helped identify Osama bin Laden. It can help identify criminals from 12 miles away. It even can be used to get personal info on people from your iPhone. Of course, with the development of such powerful technology comes worries of it being abused–something that became all too real for Natick, MA resident John H. Gass.
Gass was at home when he got a letter from the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles saying his license had been revoked. Why? The Boston Globe explains:
An antiterrorism computerized facial recognition system that scans a database of millions of state driver’s license images had picked his as a possible fraud. It turned out Gass was flagged because he looks like another driver, not because his image was being used to create a fake identity. His driving privileges were returned but, he alleges in a lawsuit, only after 10 days of bureaucratic wrangling to prove he is who he says he is.
Granted, losing your license for two weeks isn’t the most horrible thing that can happen to someone, but it does have disturbing implications for the future of facial recognition software. Thirty-four states have implemented similar systems with funds from the Department of Homeland Security. In Massachusetts alone, 1,500 suspension letters are sent out every day.
While a boon to police departments looking to save time and money fighting identity fraud, it’s frightening to think that people are having their lives seriously disrupted thanks to computer errors. If you are, say, a truck driver, something like this could cause you weeks of lost pay, something many Americans just can’t afford to do. And what if this technology expands beyond just rooting out identity fraud? What if you were slammed against a car hood as police falsely identified you as a criminal? The fact that Hass didn’t even have a chance to fight the computer’s findings before his license was suspended is especially disturbing. What would you do if this happened to you?
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Photo: Paolo Tonon, Flickr, CC
