Facial Recognition Technology: Where Will It Take Us?
Author(s): Kristine Hamann and Rachel Smith
Technology is expanding, evolving, and improving at an explosive rate. Society, including law enforcement, is struggling to keep pace with these seemingly daily developments. This paper addresses facial recognition technology used by law enforcement to enhance surveillance capabilities and the associated legal issues it raises.
Facial recognition technology provides a sophisticated surveillance technique that can be more accurate than the human eye. The use of this technology to enhance public safety will only increase and improve. Nevertheless, the criminal justice system must grapple with the many novel legal issues it poses. The legal landscape is far from settled. This article is not intended to be an in-depth legal analysis; rather, the goal is to provide an overview of the technology and an explanation of the evolving legal issues that law enforcement and the legal community may confront.