ACLU, Lawmakers Condemn Use Of Facial-Recognition At Mall Of America

"Remember that in order to catch the "bad guys" with facial recognition, you need to surveil everyone," The ACLU warns.

The ACLU of Minnesota and two state lawmakers have issued their opposition to the introduction of facial recognition technology at the Mall of America.

MOA announced the launch of the technology on June 26 and said the algorithm used has been tested by the National Institute of Technology (NIST) and Homeland Security, with a 99.3% accuracy in identifying people.

But ACLU has raised a number of concerns, chief among which is the "lack of transparency" regarding the data collected, and what this could mean for American citizens' privacy.

The ACLU has cast doubt on the 99.3% accuracy claim, saying the data could hide "deeper disparities" and doesn't account for real scenarios.

"Testing labs often don't have the same 'matching database'' as law enforcement or other users, and cannot test the full range of variables that exist in real-world situations," the press statement reads. "Face recognition technology on real-time video feeds is also notoriously inaccurate."

The move from the MOA also drew bipartisan criticism from DFL Senator Omah Fateh and GOP Senator Eric Lucero, who issued a joint press release registering their opposition to the technology.

"The Mall of America’s recent announcement regarding the implementation of facial recognition technology contributes to privacy threat against millions of Minnesotans and visitors to our state," Lucero said.

Sen. Fateh meanwhile argued the technology could lead to “potential racial profiling, harassment and false arrests.”

“Even in cases where the system does identify someone correctly, it is not yet clear how that data will be stored, distributed or protected from data breaches,” Fateh said.

While MOA insists that the technology will only keep track of potential "people of interest," the ACLU raises concerns about who police and mall employees could identify as such and the possibility of targeting visitors.

"What's the criteria and scope of this database?" the ACLU says. "Does it go beyond those who have committed past crimes and include the undocumented or migrants ICE is looking for?"

According to the ACLU, at least seven people have been wrongly arrested for crimes they did not commit due to facial recognition. All but one of these arrests were of black people.

"Remember that in order to catch the "bad guys" with facial recognition, you need to surveil everyone," The ACLU warns.

Bring Me The News contacted Mall of America for further comment.

SOURCE: Bring Me The News