May 13, 2022

Several U.S. states are now on track to bring back facial recognition technology after the original move to have it banned. Lifting the ban became necessary after crime rates jumped in recent months.

Among the states is Virginia, which in July, less than a year after it was approved, will lift the ban on facial recognition by local police, while others such as California and New Orleans are also following suit.

In New Orleans, the number of homicides increased by 67% in the last two years compared with the pair before.

While some states plan to return the technology, efforts to ban the technology face significant opposition in other states such as New York, Colorado, West Lafayette and Indiana.

Individuals and groups have called for the technology to be banned because it is less efficient at identifying black people. However, ongoing research by the federal government’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has shown significant industry-wide advances in accuracy.

The Department of Homeland Security’s tests, released last month found little variation in accuracy across skin tone and gender.

The sources for this piece include an article in Reuters.