Rethinking the rules around facial recognition technology

The Commonwealth is rethinking the use of facial recognition technology in law enforcement.

Maybe you didn't know that it's in use. Right now, at least nine law enforcement offices and departments in Massachusetts use it, as well as offices of some federal agencies, drawing mostly on an RMV database and FBI resources.

The 2020 police reform law established a commission to make recommendations about its uses and limitations.

That 173-page report came out Tuesday, with thirteen recommendations intended to "balance law enforcement’s use of the technology to solve crimes with civil liberty protections."

Not everyone agreed with the report in full, however. Of the 21 members on the commission, two did not vote, 15 endorsed it, and four dissented.

Michael O'Keefe, District Attorney for the Cape and Islands, and a member of this committee, is one of those four to dissent. He joins us to share where his disagreement with the recommendations lies.

We also speak to Kade Crockford, Director of the Technology for Liberty Program at the ACLU of Massachusetts. Kade has followed the issues surrounding facial recognition with the ACLU for several years and is one of the committee members who signed on to the final recommendations from the commission.