Following a FOIA request into Detroit’s use of facial recognition software from a civil rights coalition including the Detroit Justice Center and the ACLU yesterday, Channel 7 interviewed senior staff attorney Eric Williams about the use of this technology in Detroit. Activists plan to protest outside of the police commissioner’s meeting at 3 pm.
“If it were white people who were misidentified at the same rate that Black people were misidentified by this technology, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion. People would simply say ‘oh, it doesn’t work”—Eric Williams, Detroit Justice Center.
Our Founding ED has also weighed in on facial recognition being used in Detroit:
“At its core facial recognition is a way to do mass profiling, which is the last thing a majority Black city needs,” said Amanda Alexander, Detroit Justice Center Executive Director. “Rather than investing millions of dollars in facial recognition technology that instills fear and targets communities of color, we should be investing in services and resources so that people can prosper.”