QUESTION
What safeguards and testing processes are in place to prevent misuse and ensure accuracy of facial recognition technology?
3:27:22
·
3 min
The council member asks about safeguards companies use to prevent misuses like the Rite Aid incident, and what has been done to test the efficacy and accuracy of facial recognition technology.
- The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is the gold standard for measuring accuracy of facial recognition biometrics.
- Companies constantly test their algorithms' efficacy and accuracy across race, sex, gender, etc. to make them as accurate as possible.
- The speaker clarifies that biometrics is for verification/authentication, not surveillance of people's movements.
- NIST is a laboratory that tests and measures this technology.
Shahana K. Hanif
3:27:22
And then I also just wanted to understand, and this is my final question because I know we've got another hearing here.
3:27:27
What given to given your point about how the technology that was used in, right, its instance is, like, from a a different era.
3:27:37
And, like, there's been parameters that have, like, made this day made this technology more efficient.
3:27:45
What what are the safeguards that are that that the companies are using to prevent misuses like in the instance of Rite Aid and what what what has been done to test for efficacy and accuracy.
Robert Tappan
3:28:01
Well, the National Institute of Science And Technology, NIST, is is the gold standard for the measurement of the accuracy of biometrics, large in in especially when it comes to facial recognition.
3:28:20
So it's the it's it's an arm arm subset of the US So
Shahana K. Hanif
3:28:24
there's like a laboratory.
3:28:25
NIST is a laboratory where you're testing.
Robert Tappan
3:28:28
That is correct.
3:28:29
Okay.
3:28:29
And and companies are constantly testing their the efficacy of their algorithms of their technologies and their and the efficacy of and and by by race, by sex, by gender, etcetera, in order to make it as accurate as possible.
3:28:52
One point of clarification the councilwoman.
3:28:57
You you had talked about biometric surveillance, and that's that's kind of I'm sure that's one of those phrases that it it's it comes very easy.
3:29:07
It throws off the tongue.
3:29:10
But biometrics, there's we its biometrics is about verification and authentication.
3:29:17
When you go to the airport, You you submit your your driver's license.
3:29:21
You get your picture taken at the kiosk.
3:29:24
It verifies that the credential that you presented is indeed the face that's on there is the same face that's in front of the Kiosk camera and also verifies that the credential itself is a valid.
3:29:39
Right.
Shahana K. Hanif
3:29:39
And but an interest to 17 Right.
3:29:41
Until 2017 isn't that.
3:29:44
But intro 217 isn't a ban on that because TSA's core function requires
Robert Tappan
3:29:50
Right.
Shahana K. Hanif
3:29:50
That authentic authentication.
Robert Tappan
3:29:52
But I'm but I'm saying just the use of this type of technology is not surveillance.
3:29:57
It is about authentication.
3:29:59
If if you're trying to catch the shop lifter who comes into a Bodega, you know, day in and weekend and week out, keeps on stealing the same things.
3:30:08
And they they and there's facial recognition in there.
3:30:11
It is to authenticate that the person is a repeat offender.
3:30:15
Not to know where he goes or she goes after they steal something.
3:30:20
It it it it's not geolocated like that.
3:30:24
It's not about following people around or knowing where they are.
3:30:29
There there are other technologies that do do that and but that's another part of your hearing.
3:30:34
But biometric authentication and verification is about the person or the the person who says they are is who they are.
Shahana K. Hanif
3:30:49
And Right.
