Body-Worn Cameras and Real-Time Facial Recognition

An interesting article in France 24 about a former Israeli army colonel who says his company will produce a BWC with real-time facial recognition capabilities. The article discusses both sides of this controversial technology. I was interviewed by Bloomberg magazine back in 2016 about the deployment of BWCs with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the future possibilities of the technology. I spoke about a future when real-time facial recognition could be a reality and gave an example of its potential use. That particular example, unfortunately, has been quoted by privacy advocates over the years to demonstrate the potential of abuse of the technology by law enforcement. It appears that future state may be close at hand. What remains to be determined is its role, if any, with BWCs used by American police departments.

Daniel Zehnder.