Facial recognition software has the possibility to change public life completely. Countries and cities should be careful to consider the consequences of adopting the technology.
CCTV's are so common in the world today that it’s hard for a person to be sure if they are not being tracked by facial recognition software or not. Often without our knowledge, we might all be participating in a beta test of policing software that we never signed up for.
The temptation for police forces and states to use facial recognition technology is easy to understand. The technology is cheap and widely available, but it’s also far from proven. "A recent test of Amazon’s facial recognition software by the American Civil Liberties Union found that it falsely identified 28 members of Congress as known criminals, with members of the Congressional Black Caucus disproportionately represented," The Guardian reports. Some officials may be comfortable with those kinds of error rates, arguing that no arrest would be made without human intervention, but it’s easy to imagine a person who's wrongly been swept up into a criminal investigation feeling differently.
Even as the technology improves, as it likely will, there should be real concerns for privacy and who might be able to use this data. "It is not just governments who will be interested in the results. The software is freely available and cheap," The Guardian points out. Purveyors of ransomware, blackmailers, and other unscrupulous people have plenty of uses for it. It's crucial that laws be enacted quickly to protect the public and public life from this threat, according to the article.
FULL STORY: The Guardian view on facial recognition: a danger to democracy
Once a Surveillance Secret, Palantir Manual Becomes Public
The secret manual for the use of facial recognition and data collection software company Palantir was made public thanks to a FOIA request. It includes instructions on how to find a complete account of a person's movements.
Sprawl and Democracy
One common defense of pro-sprawl government policies is that government reflects the will of the people. But is this really true?
Brookings: A Demographic Post-Mortem of the Midterms
Young adults, according to a deep dive analysis by Brookings Metro demographer William Frey, were a key demographic group responsible for stopping the red wave that most polling predicted as the likely outcome of last month's midterm elections.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
