Seattle Police Probe Improper Facial Recognition Use; ACLU Seeks Ban

A Seattle ban on facial recognition remains necessary even as the city responded to one police detective using the technology improperly, said the American Civil Liberties Union in Washington state. Seattle denied using Clearview AI facial recognition last week (see 2012020057). Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz further explained in a Wednesday letter to the ACLU that a single SPD officer downloaded the software onto a personal device. “This matter has been referred to the Office of Police Accountability for investigation,” Diaz wrote in the letter shared with us by the city. “SPD does not use Clearview AI and has no intention of using Clearview AI. As Chief, I am committed to upholding the tenets of the Surveillance Ordinance and the civil liberties of our residents. Clearview AI’s business product is at odds with those two central priorities.” ACLU-Washington is glad “the department is addressing the downloading of unauthorized surveillance software,” but “this isolated action is not sufficient to protect Seattle residents from surveillance using this flawed, inaccurate, and racially biased technology,” said Technology and Liberty Project Manager Jenny Lee in a Thursday statement. She urged Mayor Jenny Durkan (D) to ban face surveillance to “clarify that no city employee should be downloading these systems.” A Durkan spokesperson pointed us to the city's 2018 surveillance transparency law.