General Intelligence

The Facial Recognition Industry Promises to Regulate Itself. Sure, Okay.

Members of the industry group proposing ethics guidelines have broken those guidelines already

Photo illustration. Image: John M Lund Photography Inc/Getty Images

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While American cities and Congress weigh whether facial recognition technology has a place in the U.S., the world’s largest facial recognition companies are trying to get out ahead of legislation by publishing a new set of ethics guidelines.

This week, the Security Industry Association, a trade organization representing the world’s largest security firms, like NEC, Idemia, Dahua, and Hikvision, published broad principles for what they consider to be responsible use of facial recognition. The document also warns against broad regulation of facial recognition technology. And banning the industry outright, SIA suggests, is the wrong decision, too.

“SIA believes all technology products, including facial recognition, must only be used for purposes that are lawful, ethical, and nondiscriminatory,” the document says. “Blanket moratoriums and bans shutter both proven current uses and potential future benefits across many uses.”