Are You Being Watched?

    It was a hot July day last summer. Detroit teen Lamya Robinson wanted to go roller skating with friends. Her mom dropped her off at the skating rink. But when Lamya tried to enter, she was stopped at the door. The security guards said she had gotten into a fight there in March. They wouldn’t let her in.

    Lamya was shocked. 

    “I was like, that was not me,” she said. “I was so confused because I’d never been there before.”

    The guards at the rink didn’t believe her. On the way in, a camera had snapped a picture of Lamya. A computer matched her image with the girl who’d been caught fighting. Lamya had no choice. She had to turn around and go home. 

    It was a hot day last July. Detroit teen Lamya Robinson wanted to go roller skating with friends. Her mom drove her to the rink. But Lamya was stopped at the door. The security guards said she had been in a fight there. They wouldn’t let her in.

    Lamya was shocked. 

    “That was not me,” she said. “I’d never been there before.”

    The guards didn’t believe her. On the way in, a camera had taken her photo. A computer matched her image with the girl who’d been caught fighting.

    Lamya had no choice. She had to leave. 

    On a hot July day last summer, Lamya Robinson wanted to go roller skating with her friends. Her mom dropped her off at the skating rink, but when Lamya, who lives in Detroit, tried to get in, security guards stopped her at the door. They said she had gotten into a fight there in March, and they wouldn’t let her in.

    Lamya was shocked. 

    “I was like, that was not me,” she later recalled. “I was so confused because I’d never been there before.”

    The security guards didn’t believe her. A camera had snapped a picture of Lamya as she had tried to enter the skating rink. A computer then matched her image with the girl who’d been caught fighting. Lamya had no choice but to go home. 

    The rink used facial recognition technology (FRT). You may not know it. But it’s becoming a part of your life. 

    Some phones use FRT. It lets you unlock the screen. Home Depot and other stores use it to keep thieves out. Police use it to identify suspects. It may even be in your school soon.

    Here’s how FRT works: A camera scans your face. Then a computer compares your image with other images. It looks for a match. 

    Let’s say a camera catches a thief breaking into a store. Police can use FRT to compare that photo with driver’s license photos. FRT looks for faces that match the face of the thief.

    The roller skating rink had used facial recognition technology, or FRT. You may not be aware of it, but this technology is becoming a part of your life. 

    FRT is what allows you to unlock your screen on some phones. Stores like Home Depot, Apple, and Macy’s try to keep out thieves with FRT. Police departments use it to identify suspects. Before long, your school might even use it.

    Here’s how FRT works: A camera scans your face, and then a computer compares measurements from your image with data about other images and searches for a match. 

    Let’s say a security camera takes a photo of a thief breaking into a jewelry store. Police can compare that photo with driver’s license photos stored in a huge computer file. FRT finds faces that might match the face of the thief.

    Some people believe FRT keeps us safer. Hundreds of police departments have used it to solve crimes.

    FRT was used after the riot in January in Washington, D.C. People broke into the Capitol. That’s the building where Congress meets. FRT helped identify some of them.

    But experts say there are problems with FRT. It makes mistakes. That happens more when it tries to identify people with darker skin. At least three innocent people have been arrested because of a bad FRT match. All three are Black. So is Lamya Robinson.

    Others worry that FRT will be used on people who aren’t committing crimes. In some cities, security cameras are everywhere. They might film people at protests. Will people speak out if FRT can identify them?

    Some people argue that FRT keeps us all safer. At least 600 police departments have solved crimes using the technology.

    FRT also helped law enforcement identify participants in the Washington, D.C., riot in January. People were filmed breaking into the Capitol—the building where Congress meets.

    But experts point out that there are plenty of problems with FRT. First of all, it makes mistakes—and it’s especially bad at identifying people with darker skin. At least three innocent people have been arrested because of a bad FRT match. All three are Black. So is Lamya Robinson.

    Others worry that FRT will be used to spy on people who aren’t committing crimes. In some cities, security cameras are everywhere. Suppose they’re used to film people who go to protests. Will people feel comfortable speaking out if they know FRT can identify exactly who they are?

    FRT is used mainly on adults. But dozens of U.S. schools have FRT cameras. They help spot people who don’t belong at the school.

    Some experts say you need more privacy. They fear that kids will get used to being watched all the time. That’s why New York State has banned FRT in schools until 2022. Other states might ban it too. And more than a dozen cities limit how police can use FRT. 

    But FRT is legal in most places. You might get scanned at the airport. You might get scanned at the cash machine. FRT can confirm that you are who you say you are.

    You might get scanned at the roller rink. We hope no criminals out there look like you.

    So far, FRT has been used mostly on adults. But school officials are interested too, and now dozens of schools around the country have FRT cameras. Some use the cameras to spot people who aren’t supposed to be at the school.

    Do you deserve more privacy? Some experts say that you do. They’re concerned that young people will begin to accept being watched all the time. 

    In response to these concerns, New York State has banned FRT in schools until 2022. Other states are considering bans too. And more than a dozen cities have limited the use of FRT by police departments. 

    However, FRT is legal in most places—and people are finding more and more ways to use it. You might get scanned before boarding a plane at the airport. You might get scanned before taking out cash at the cash machine. In both cases, FRT can confirm that you are who you claim to be.

    And, of course, you could get scanned at the roller rink to make sure you haven’t started any fights. If you’re lucky, there isn’t a criminal out there who looks like you.