U.S. Court Of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Agrees That Digital Facial Images May Be Used for Age Verification
(GlobalNewsWire, Mar 22, 2024)
In a decision delivered on March 7th, 2023, The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit found that imposing age verification for access to pornography does not violate the First Amendment, partially overturning an injunction placed on the Texas House Bill 1181 by a District court in August of 2023. The appeals court found that the appropriate standard for review should have been a rational-basis and that age verification requirements can rationally be considered part of the legitimate interest the government has in restricting minors from accessing pornography. The court also found that biometric age estimation based on a facial image is allowable under the legislation and does not present a greater privacy risk than in-person age verification.
The Government is Using AI. Here’s How it Can Mitigate Public Fear
(San Francisco Chronicle, Mar 22, 2024)
We asked people whether they would support the government using facial recognition for such purposes as investigating crimes, tracking immigrants or identifying people in public places like stadiums or polling stations. Respondents supported using the technology in some ways — identifying victims and potential suspects of a crime, for example — far more than others. People were much more suspicious of the most sweeping uses of facial recognition, like to surveil protests or monitor polling stations. And this was true for different AI technologies.
European Union's AI Law Will Heavily Regulate a Technology Lawmakers Don't Understand
(reason, Mar 22, 2024)
The E.U.'s law isn't all bad. Its restrictions on the use of biometric identification, for example, address a real civil liberties concern and are a step in the right direction. Less ideal is that the law makes many exceptions for cases of national security, allowing member states to interpret freely what exactly raises concerns about privacy.
Buenos Aires’ Controversial Facial Recognition Network Remains in Limbo
(Biometric Update, Mar 22, 2024)
The future of Buenos Aires’ controversial public facial recognition system, which has been used to spy on civil society members and has led to erroneous arrests, is still uncertain. In February, a court in the Argentinian capital ruled that the public surveillance system, known as the Fugitive Facial Recognition System (SNRP), will remain suspended as there is still no agreement on how to audit the technology. No date has been defined on when the system might be re-activated.
Lakeland Surveillance Cameras Now Using Facial Recognition Software
(WTSP-TV Tampa-St. Petersburg, Mar 22, 2024)
“It's about keeping the district safe,” said Julie Townsend, the Director of the Lakeland Downtown Development Authority. The agency, she says, makes no apologies for its new surveillance network. “There are 13 cameras. All 13 have facial recognition,” Townsend said. So far, Lakeland has installed nine of the cameras. By the end of April, they expected to be close to 13. Each of them is armed with the facial recognition system.
