Facial recognition in schools: Even supporters say it won't stop shootings
The facial recognition industry is starting to see that its promises offer a false sense of security.
After a school shooting in Parkland, Florida left 17 people dead, RealNetworks decided to make its facial recognition technology available for free to schools across the US and Canada. If school officials could detect strangers on their campuses, they might be able to stop shooters before they got to a classroom.
Anxious to keep children safe from gun violence, thousands of schools reached out with interest in the technology. Dozens started using SAFR, RealNetworks' facial recognition technology.
From working with schools, RealNetworks, the streaming media company, says it's learned an important lesson: Facial recognition isn't likely an effective tool for preventing shootings.
"The vast majority of school shootings are carried out by people that you wouldn't necessarily put on a watchlist, that you wouldn't be looking out for," said Mike Vance, SAFR's senior director of product management. "You have to know who you're looking out for."
If schools don't know who a likely shooter is, the company says, its software doesn't know who to find.
As the second anniversary of the Florida shooting approaches, the surveillance industry is facing the reality that facial recognition isn't well-equipped for the challenges of preventing school shootings. AI experts and privacy advocates have long argued this point. Now, facial recognition companies are starting to understand it, too.
Facial recognition companies have flocked to schools to pitch their products, often invoking CONTINUE READING: Facial recognition in schools: Even supporters say it won't stop shootings - CNET
