Senate Democrats Press FTC to Protect Marginalized Groups From Marketplace Discrimination
(Yahoo News, Jun 22, 2022)
The group particularly took aim at facial recognition software, which they argued is capable of “fundamentally threatening” people’s expectation that they can appear in public without being identified. The senators pointed to a 2019 National Institute of Standards and Technology study that showed facial recognition algorithms were up to 100 times more likely to misidentify Asian and African American faces compared to Caucasians. “Communities of color are already systematically subjected to over-surveillance, and research shows that private businesses have disproportionately deployed facial recognition technology in non-white neighborhoods,” the senators wrote. Facial recognition software and other emerging technologies have been an increasing focus of civil rights groups.
Microsoft Restricts Facial Recognition Services, Sunsets Facial Analysis
(Biometric Update, Jun 22, 2022)
Microsoft has released their Responsible AI Standard, a framework to guide the company’s work in artificial intelligence. Calling it “an important step in our journey to develop better, more trustworthy AI,” Natasha Crampton, Microsoft’s chief responsible AI officer, said the framework puts people at the center of system design decisions and aims to steer them toward better and more equitable outcomes. In a post on Microsoft’s website, Crampton said AI development needs to respect values like privacy, inclusiveness and accountability. To that end, Microsoft said it will retire from its Azure Face recognition service facial analysis software designed to identify age, gender, emotional states and other qualities, citing concerns about bias and inaccuracy. Said Crampton, “experts inside and outside the company have highlighted the lack of scientific consensus on the definition of ‘emotions,’ the challenges in how inferences generalize across use cases, regions, and demographics, and the heightened privacy concerns around this type of capability.”
American Airlines Launches Mobile ID With TSA PreCheck®
(American Airlines Newsroom, Jun 22, 2022)
American Airlines customers with TSA PreCheck® can now breeze through the airport with just their phone and their face, thanks to a collaboration with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and American to test mobile identification. Starting today at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), American Airlines AAdvantage® members who are enrolled in TSA PreCheck may choose to use their American Airlines Mobile ID at select TSA PreCheck checkpoints to have their identity verified. The experience is now available at every TSA PreCheck location at DFW, with plans to deploy at select TSA PreCheck checkpoints at Miami International Airport (MIA), Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA) and more later this year. “We’re committed to making our customers’ journeys easier, and airport waypoints provide significant opportunities for innovation,” said Julie Rath, Vice President of Customer Experience, Loyalty and Marketing for American. “By simplifying the identity verification process and other points at the airport, we’re helping our customers exchange stress for convenience and saved time, and propelling the travel industry further along the path to a truly seamless customer experience.”
Are Games Actually Playing Us? Tencent Using Facial Recognition On Young Gamers
(Tech The Lead, Jun 22, 2022)
A borderline creepy use of facial recognition technology in games or the next great innovation in parental controls?Tencent Games is a Chinese conglomerate who owns the most popular games nowadays but those games could soon be playing us.Tencent announced that they will deploy facial recognition in games to identify underage players gaming at night. It’s a move with profound implications for the security and privacy of young gamers. During China’s 4-week winter school break this year, school kids were limited to playing just 14 hours over the period, according to a calendar released by Tencent. The announcement aligns with a Beijing crackdown on gaming from August 2021, where the the Chinese state agency National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) announced that online game providers may only offer one-hour time slots — from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. — to minors on Fridays, weekends, and official holidays. How would they enforce the curfew? Using facial recognition, of course.
City Council Clashes With South Australia Police Over Facial Recognition
(Find Biometrics, Jun 22, 2022)
The Adelaide City Council is in a standoff with the South Australia Police (SAPOL) over the use of facial recognition. Adelaide is planning to replace its outdated City Safe CCTV network with more modern 360-degree cameras with more robust computer vision capabilities. The problem is that South Australian lawmakers have not yet passed any kind of law to regulate the use of facial recognition tech. With that in mind, the City Council has asked SAPOL to refrain from using facial recognition with the new cameras until legislation is passed. The Council formalized the request with a motion in November. SAPOL has declined to respond, and has instead indicated that it is planning to use facial recognition in statements to the press.
Identity Week America, October 4 - 5 , 2022
(Terrapinn, Jun 22, 2022)
IDENTITY WEEK is the most important identity event in the USA. IDENTITY WEEK is a conference and exhibition bringing together the brightest minds in the identity sector to promote innovation, new thinking, and more effective identity solutions. Key areas of focus include secure physical credentials, digital identity, and advanced authentication technologies, such as biometrics.
