Facial recognition being used in everyday life seemed far-off not too long ago. Increasingly, it’s being used and advanced widely and with increasing speed, which means that our technical capabilities are starting to outpace (if they haven’t already) our consensus as a society about what is acceptable in facial recognition and what isn’t. The threats to privacy, fairness, and freedom are real, and Microsoft has become one of the first large companies using this technology to speak out in specific support of its regulation through legislation. Their arguments are interesting, provocative, and even if you don’t agree with every point they make or harbor some skepticism, there’s a lot to think about in what they’re saying.
Relevant links:
Should we be worried about computerized facial recognition? (New Yorker article, released after recording so not discussed on the show but an excellent overview)
Facial recognition: it’s time for action (Microsoft blog post)
Microsoft calls on companies to adopt a facial recognition code of conduct