1 of 7

Facial Recognition Software

How Countries Are Using A.I. to Profile Minorities

Anysa Bickici

2 of 7

What is it?

A facial recognition system uses biometrics to map facial features from a photograph or video.

Computer softwares compare information with a database of known faces across the web to find a match.

According to a Georgetown University study, Half of all American adults have their images stored in one or more facial-recognition databases that law enforcement agencies can search

Half of all American adults have their images stored in one or more facial-recognition databases that law enforcement agencies can search

3 of 7

Facial Geometry

A few key Factors:

distance between your eyes
the distance from forehead to chin
the distance between your ear to your eye

4 of 7

History:

Woodrow (Woody) Bledsoe

1960’s

1970’s

2001

2015

2017 →

Super Bowl XXXV

Osama Bin Laden

Apple Inc.

In the 1960’s a mathematician and computer scientist named Woodrow Wilson Bledsoe developed a system of measurements that could be used to put photos of faces in different classifications.

Soon after, in the 1970’s Law enforcement agencies soon became interested in his work and for

the next 20 years, agencies developed their own facial recognition systems.

One of the most important years of this technology was 2001.

That year, law enforcement officials used facial recognition to help identify people in the crowd at Super Bowl - this was one of the first extremley large usages of the system.

It wasn’t until the 2010’s that computers were able to make facial recognition a standard feature. After this software became more widespread, governments began using it for international issues.

In 2011 the US used facial recognition software to confirm the identity of terrorist Osama bin Laden’s dead body.

Though android devices began using facial recognition technology to unlock mobile devices, it wasn’t until 2017 when apple released its first iphone using the same technology.

5 of 7

A closer look - China

Xinjiang Internment Camps

Since its adoption in the US, hundreds of countries around the world followed. The INTERPOL Face Recognition System (IFRS) contains facial images received from more than 179 countries which makes it a global criminal database.

One country in specific, China, has expanded its use of FRS extremely in recent years.

As most of you probably already know, China is in its 5th decade of genocide against Uyghur Muslims.

Now, documents and interviews show that Chinese authorities are also using a vast, secret system of advanced facial recognition technology to track and control the Uighurs.

Most recently, new information records a number of 6 people identified in photos showing Uyghur detainees listening to a “de-radicalization” speech.

The photo on the right, from this speech, is of a man who has been identified as a driver for a cement factory named Mettursun Eziz,

6 of 7

Problems:

There are many problems with facial recognition software - not only from being used as a tool in genocide, but also generally.

Face recognition can target marginalized populations, such as Black citizens, undocumented immigrants by ICE, Muslim citizens by the NYPD.

There are a few reasons why this is so common:

Firstly, with the facial signature software, many systems that are not advanced enough for POC facial, making it easier to use stereotypes to identify them.
Second, POC are overrepresented in the mugshot data that facial recognition uses to make predictions.

This system played a large role in what’s going on in china because the technology is

integrated into China’s networks of surveillance cameras and looks exclusively for Uighurs to keeps records of their comings and goings for search and review.

This is the first known example of a government intentionally using artificial intelligence for racial profiling.

China’s efforts also reveal individual’s racial intentions - this technology must be ordered by to categorize people based on race or ethnicity. Chinese police, with the help of the start-ups, have done that.

Meaning that any racial bias that police officers have, will be used to categorize and then torture citizens.

7 of 7

Thank you!