April 16, 2024
Facial recognition fails tech and ethics tests
A Māori data ethicist says a Rotorua supermarket was unprofessional in its handling of a Māori woman caught up in a trial of facial recognition software.
Te Ani Solomon says she was approached by staff while shopping at Westend New World and told she had been trespassed for shoplifting.
She says during the encounter the staff were looking at an image on a phone of a Māori woman wearing a cap – which was not her.
Dr Karaitiana Taiuru says flaws in facial recognition systems are well documented.
He says Foodstuffs was irresponsible to go ahead with its trial of the system in its supermarkets, especially in areas with high Maori and Pacific populations.
“Foodstuffs have decided to ignore research, ignore best advice from overseas and even ignored local research, such as the New Zealand Police who abandoned facial recognition technology because it did not work properly with Māori and Pacifika faces,” Dr Taiuru says.
He urges people to speak out if they are caught out by false readings.
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