From Cato: “The laudable goal of increasing accountability in law enforcement could lead to increased surveillance. Perhaps nothing illustrates this danger better than the merger of body camera and facial recognition technology, something some body camera manufactures have already achieved. Strict policies on facial recognition being used on body camera data are not in place at any of the major police departments that either are or soon will be equipping officers with the cameras. This is especially concerning at a time when body cameras are very popular with the American public. But, with restrictions in place, it is possible to increase police accountability while protecting privacy.”
The only solution appears to be complete oversight of body cam use, with a firewall in place between body cameras and facial recognition tech.
With all the surveillance toys available to police these days, civilian oversight committees must be created to establish complete oversight on their use and abuse.
