Three Lessons From BIPA For Data Privacy Legislation
(The Hill, Feb 07, 2020)
Recently, the Supreme Court denied cert on the lower court case of Patel v. Facebook, allowing the lower court ruling to stand. The company agreed to a $550 million settlement with the class of plaintiffs a few days later. This is the latest case to use private right of action, or individual and class-action lawsuits, as a method of enforcement for the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). This and other lawsuits related to BIPA, such as a case against Six Flags last year, provide an insight into how a private right of action might play out in the context of broader data privacy regulations.
Is Facial Recognition Threatening Privacy Or Detecting Crimes?
(Analytics Insight, Feb 07, 2020)
The use of facial recognition in various public sectors has received a great deal of press lately, and most of it isn’t positive. There’s a lot of concern over how state and federal government agencies are using this technology and how the resulting biometric data will be used. As noted by Security Magazine, many fear that the use of this technology will lead to negative conditions. Unfortunately, these concerns are not without merit. Certain damaging results have been observed in regions where this technology is prevalent like – China, Singapore, and even the United Kingdom. London authorities recently fined a man for disorderly conduct for covering his face to avoid surveillance on the streets.
We’re Not Seeing False Positives’: DHS Official Testifies On How Dept Uses Facial Recognition Technology
(Sociable.co, Feb 07, 2020)
A US Department of Homeland Security official testifies that facial recognition technology is very accurate and that it doesn’t see false positives that misidentify people at US ports of entry, but that there are issues with matching photos to databases.
The Two Faces Of Facial Recognition
(Forbes, Feb 07, 2020)
Spending on facial recognition technology totaled an estimated $3.2 billion in 2019 worldwide. Forecasts suggest that organizations will invest $7 billion in this biometric technology by 2024. But this isn’t just another on-the-rise technology. Facial recognition is unique in the tension it creates between ease of use, personalization and privacy
Government Wants CISF To Guard Biometric Machines At Secretariat
(Tribune India, Feb 07, 2020)
The state government has sought the intervention of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) in guarding the biometric machines installed at the Punjab Civil Secretariat building here. After incidents of tampering with the recently installed biometric attendance machines at the Secretariat, the Department of General Administration has sought CISF’s deployment to guard the equipment. The Central Industrial Security Force is in charge of the Punjab and Haryana Civil Secretariat security.
Face-Recognition Rollout Planned Amid Skepticism on Racial Bias
(Bloomberg Law, Feb 07, 2020)
Facial recognition software that showed statistically undetectable bias against women and people of color in a recent government study will be put in place soon in systems used on travelers at airports and entry into the U.S., a top official from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection told lawmakers Thursday.
How Algorithmic Bias Hurts People With Disabilities
(Slate, Feb 07, 2020)
Though a huge portion of the population lives with a disability, it comes in many different forms, making bias hard to detect, prove, and design around.
Lawmakers See Benefits in Facial Recognition at Borders, Despite Concerns
(Wall Street Journal, Feb 07, 2020)
Several House lawmakers expressed reservations Thursday about increasing use of facial recognition to identify people entering the country, but their views didn’t sway U.S. customs officials and other House members who said the technology promises to make the nation safer.
Facial Recognition Experts To Testify To House Committee
(Gov Tech, Feb 07, 2020)
The House Homeland Security Committee will hear testimony from the National Institute of Standards and Technology regarding how the Department of Homeland Security uses the technology and its limitations.
Cbp Not Finding Demographic Bias In Use Of Face Recognition, Official Says
(Defense Daily , Feb 07, 2020)
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) continues to get match rates between 97 and 98 percent with its use of facial comparison technology where it is deployed to track the entry and exit of foreign nationals and U.S. citizens arriving to and departing from the U.S.…
Top Homeland Security Democrat Voices Opposition To Facial Recognition Moratorium
(The Hill, Feb 07, 2020)
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) on Thursday voiced concern about placing a federal moratorium on facial recognition technology, a proposal floated by several lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
Wirecard Research Finds Majority Of Consumers Are Ready And Waiting For Next-generation Technology To Improve Their Shopping Experience
(Yahoo, Feb 07, 2020)
"Our research has found that the 'mass market' of shoppers are now ready to use and adopt innovative new technologies that will improve their in-store shopping experience and make it as easy as possible for them to purchase products in the way that best suits them. These technologies are no longer gimmicks or only used by early adopters, yet many retailers are failing to listen to their customers and keep up with their demands," commented Markus Eichinger, EVP Group Strategy at Wirecard. "At a time when brick-and-mortar stores are struggling to compete with online sales, combining payments with other technologies is a fundamental step in adding value for customers."
Homeland Security Suspends Enrollment of New Yorkers in Global Entry
(Wall Street Journal, Feb 07, 2020)
The Department of Homeland Security is suspending enrollment in Global Entry and other trusted-traveler programs for New York residents in response to the state’s so-called sanctuary policies to safeguard immigrants from deportation, the acting chief of the department said.
Facial Recognition Technology Uses at Homeland Security Department
(C-Span, Feb 07, 2020)
ohn Wagner, the Customs & Border Protection’s (CBP) deputy executive assistant commissioner of field operations, testified on how the agency uses facial recognition and biometrics technologies to identify people coming into the U.S. This was the House Homeland Security’s second hearing focusing on federal government use of these technologies and the potential privacy and discrimination concerns that could arise. The hearing came after a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) study and report that found racial bias with facial recognition technology.
Canadian Court Is Urged to Rule Facebook Broke Privacy Laws
(Wall Street Journal, Feb 07, 2020)
Canada’s main privacy watchdog on Thursday asked a court to hold hearings on Facebook Inc.’s FB privacy practices and force the company to change the way it handles users’ personal information. The move comes after privacy commissioner Daniel Therrien said last year that an investigation by his office and his counterpart in the province of British Columbia found Facebook violated the country’s privacy laws. Mr. Therrien said the Menlo Park, Calif., social-media company failed to protect Canadians’ personal information when it allowed a third-party app to access users’ data.
