The Milwaukee Police Department is currently in talks with Biometrica, a company that licenses facial recognition technology to third-party organizations to use for security. To make the system possible, Biometrica is requesting access to 2.5 million photos and facial scans. As biometric data such as facial recognition, fingerprints and DNA becomes increasingly incorporated into organizational workflows, questions are emerging about privacy and oversight.
Biometrica currently integrates its technology in airports, stadiums and university campuses where it helps monitor large crowds. While the company does not have direct access to biometric data, it does receive images from the locations where its products are used. Built-in guardrails, the company says, include prohibiting mass surveillance and limiting the technology to capturing only individuals’ faces.
Organizations including Milwaukee’s Equal Rights Commission have pushed back due to concerns on accuracy and bias that could arise from facial recognition technology, especially for women and people of color.
Biometrica, along with other organizations in Milwaukee, has been meeting with MPD about integrating this technology. Debates center on whether the technology should be used in criminal investigations.
Biases occur due to false positive matches. Algorithms can incorrectly match a face to a person in a database. Studies have shown that African and East Asian individuals are over 100 times more likely to receive a false positive rate than eastern european individuals. Women tend to have higher false positive rates than men.
While Milwaukee debates the future of facial recognition, Madison maintains their stance on this technology.
In 2020, Madison’s Common Council issued Ordinance 62413. With very few exceptions, this ordinance bans face surveillance technology for departments, agencies and divisions of Madison, Madison Common Council District 8 Alder and Vice President, MGR Govindarajan said.
“[Madison Police Department] does not use any facial recognition or similar technology. The only biometric data collected by the Madison Police Department are DNA evidence and fingerprints for active investigations, crime investigations,” Govindarajan said.
Regulations banning facial recognition apply for investigations that fall into the Madison Police Department jurisdiction — events that take place on UW-Madison’s campus are not in Madison Police Department’s jurisdiction.
“Whatever the Milwaukee Police Department decides has no impact on UW-Madison or the University of Wisconsin Police Department. We do not currently use facial recognition technology and have no immediate plans to start,” UWPD said in an email statement.
Investigations happening in campus residence halls or academic buildings fall into the jurisdiction of the UWPD.
The UWPD remains firm on not changing their procedures to conduct investigations. City of Madison officials are sticking to the existing ordinance.
Altering the current legislation requires the work of an alder. The process would be the same as proposing entirely new ordinances, working with the city’s attorneys to draft the ordinance.
“[Alders] introduce it as the common council and then from there, [alders] send it to a committee then the committee will discuss it. They will make a recommendation,” MGR said. “They might even make changes to it through amendments, and then it comes back to the Common Council where [alders] take a final vote on it.”
UW students will not be affected until a decision in Milwaukee is made. If Milwaukee’s legislation varies compared to Madison, change could occur.
Madison’s ordinance banning face surveillance technology remains intact and UWPD doesn’t plan on incorporating biometric technology.
Students can reach out to their alder to get engaged with the issue and their community. Alders can be contacted through a plethora of platforms including social media, email and the Madison Common Council website, MGR said.
“The best way for constituents to [get involved is to] reach out to me and let me know what they think,” MGR said.
