Project NOLA and the City Council: Tracking Every Citizen with Live Facial Recognition
The debate centers on ordinances like 35,137, which would authorize massive, real-time facial recognition surveillance across New Orleans, utilizing the Project NOLA network.
Proponents argue this technology is vital for the NOPD to 'stop crime more efficiently and aid in other investigations, particularly focused on violence, sexual assault and illegal drugs.' Critics, including ACLU voices and Rachel Taber, counter that the system is a 'facial recognition technology nightmare' capable of targeting marginalized groups, including immigrants and people of color, regardless of any crime.
The consensus among critics is that the surveillance apparatus is unacceptable. Furthermore, the discussion notes a major weakness: state and federal law enforcement can allegedly bypass local ordinances, meaning local bans may be toothless.
Key Points
#1Ordinance 35,137 seeks to legalize mass, real-time facial recognition surveillance.
AcidiclyBasicGlitch identified the measure that expands the system managed by Project NOLA.
#2Opponents view the technology as a threat to civil rights, not a public safety tool.
Rachel Taber stated the tech could monitor groups like LGBTQ people and women seeking reproductive care.
#3The existing system already violates local prohibitions.
AcidiclyBasicGlitch pointed out the NOPD bypassed the city's 2022 ban using Project NOLA alerts.
#4Local law offers no shield against outside agencies.
An outlier concern raised is that state law enforcement can 'trump' local prohibitions.
#5The technology carries proven risks of false identification and wrongful arrest.
The discussion cited the wrongful arrest of Randal Reid based on a false facial recognition match.
Source Discussions (3)
This report was synthesized from the following Lemmy discussions, ranked by community score.