Democrats Ask GAO to Study Facial Recognition Technology

GAO should study commercial and government use of facial recognition (see 1807300045) to identify potential abuses, said Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.; Chris Coons, D-Del.; Ed Markey, D-Mass.; Cory Booker, D-N.J.; and Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., Tuesday: “These technologies raise serious concerns about individual privacy rights and the disparate treatment of minority and immigrant communities.” They asked the agency to determine what safeguards ensure the technology isn't abused. The American Civil Liberties Union claimed Amazon’s Rekognition, used by law enforcement, is flawed and racially biased. The request will go through GAO’s formal review process, which usually takes a few weeks, emailed a spokesman.