To make matters worse, law enforcement officials have stonewalled efforts to obtain documents about the government’s actions, ignoring a court order and stonewalling multiple requests for case files providing more information about the shoddy investigation that led to Robert’s arrest. The FBI reportedly used this technology hundreds of thousands of times - yet couldn’t even clearly answer whether it notified people arrested as a result of the technology. In fact, people are almost never told when face recognition has identified them as a suspect. Had Robert not heard a glib comment from the officer who was interrogating him, he likely never would have known that his ordeal stemmed from a false face recognition match. This surveillance technology is often used in secret, without any oversight. He’s just the first person we’re learning about. Given the technology’s flaws, and how widely it is being used by law enforcement today, Robert likely isn’t the first person to be wrongfully arrested because of this technology. And we have long warned that one false match can lead to an interrogation, arrest, and, especially for Black men like Robert, even a deadly police encounter. Study after study has confirmed that face recognition technology is flawed and biased, with significantly higher error rates when used against people of color and women. This surveillance technology is dangerous when wrong, and it is dangerous when right.įirst, as Robert’s experience painfully demonstrates, this technology clearly doesn’t work. Lawmakers nationwide must stop law enforcement use of face recognition technology. How does one explain to two little girls that a computer got it wrong, but the police listened to it anyway?” Their children have even taken to playing games involving arresting people, and have accused Robert of stealing things from them.Īs Robert puts it: “I never thought I’d have to explain to my daughters why daddy got arrested. Their daughters can never un-see their father being wrongly arrested and taken away - their first real experience with the police. Robert’s wife, Melissa, was forced to explain to his boss why Robert wouldn’t show up to work the next day. Robert’s DNA sample, mugshot, and fingerprints - all of which were taken when he arrived at the detention center - are now on file. The ACLU of Michigan is lodging a complaint against Detroit police, but the damage is done. One officer responded, “The computer must have gotten it wrong.” Robert was still held for several more hours, before finally being released later that night into a cold and rainy January night, where he had to wait about an hour on a street curb for his wife to come pick him up. Robert said it wasn’t, put the image next to his face, and said “I hope you all don’t think all Black men look alike.” While interrogating Robert, an officer pointed to the image and asked if the man in the photo was him. It wasn’t until after spending a night in a cramped and filthy cell that Robert saw the surveillance image for himself. With that patently insufficient “confirmation” in hand, the cops showed up at Robert’s house and handcuffed him in broad daylight in front of his own family. The shop security guard - based only on review of a blurry surveillance image of the incident - claimed Robert was indeed the guy. But convinced they had their thief, Detroit police put Robert William’s driver’s license photo in a lineup with other Black men and showed it to the shop security guard, who hadn’t even witnessed the alleged robbery firsthand.
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