Essex Police Pauses Facial Recognition Use Amid Racial Bias Concerns
Essex police has suspended the use of live facial recognition technology after a study found the AI-enabled systems were significantly more likely to target black people compared to other ethnicities.
Essex police has paused its use of live facial recognition (LFR) technology after a study found cameras were significantly more likely to target black people than people of other ethnicities.
The move to suspend use of the AI-enabled systems was revealed by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), which regulates the use of the technology deployed so far by at least 13 police forces in London, south and north Wales, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Hampshire, Bedfordshire, Suffolk, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Surrey and Sussex.
The academics who conducted the study found that black people were significantly more likely to be identified when compared with other ethnic groups. This racial bias in the technology has led Essex police to pause its use of facial recognition cameras while the force investigates the findings further.
