Michigan University study advocates ban of facial recognition in schools

A newly published study by University of Michigan researchers shows facial recognition technology in schools presents multiple problems and has limited efficacy. Led by Shobita Parthasarathy, director of the university's Science, Technology, and Public Policy (STPP) program, the research say the technology isn't suited to security purposes and can actively promote racial discrimination, normalize surveillance, and erode privacy while institutionalizing inaccuracy and marginalizing non-conforming students. The study follows the New York legislature's passage of a moratorium on the use of facial recognition and other forms of biometric identification in schools until 2022. The bill, which came in response to the launch of facial recognition by the Lockport City School District, was among the first in the nation to explicitly regulate or ban use of the technology in schools. That development came after companies including Amazon, IBM, and Microsoft halted or ended the sale of facial recognition products in response to the first wave of Black Lives Matter protests in the U.S. The Michigan University study -- a part of STPP's Technology Assessment Project -- employs an analogical case comparison method to look at previous uses of security technology like CCTV cameras and metal detectors as well as biometric technologies and anticipate the implications of facial recognition.