[groceryheist]

This is a very narrow view of potential applications of facial recognition. I take it for granted that this technology has enormous affordances for social control. "Criminality" may be an out-of date notion of the kinds of behaviors that governments and other institutions like those in workplaces (e.g. the academy, employers, corporations). Surveillance has major political implications and we should not treat the advancement of technology as independent from the society and the political economy.

Surveillance is the key concept in a major design of social control, Bentham's "Panopticon." When anyone may be watched, people must live expecting that they will be watched, and the will of those with the power to create sanctions will enacted. This will be a historical novelty if facial recognition systems become widespread. Historically, only limited public venues were subject to effective widespread surveillance (except in extreme authoritarian cases like East Germany). Increasingly, online spaces are subject to surveillance that is limited by browser instrumentation, with facial recognition it will be possible to track people offline as well, if you have access to the cameras.

Surveillance is the twin of transparency, which can be thought of as possible tool for democratic control. I do believe that transparency i.e. through freedom of information acts has some positive characteristics for democracy but has a weak empirical record compared to panoptic control. Facial recognition might have affordances for collective action, such as making it easy to produce evidence of excesses or corruption.

That said, maybe we should not give the authorities the power to implement technological changes without the consent of the governed? Technology moves faster than policies can adapt to them, but old laws and institutions like the police evolved in times when the tools of day could not have been imagined.

Edit: Regulating technologies like facial recognition popularizes the control of social systems which counter acts authoritarianism and high concentration of power and resources.

[YeGoblynQueenne]

>> Technology moves faster than policies can adapt to them, but old laws and institutions like the police evolved in times when the tools of day could not have been imagined.

Very good point.

[hubert1234]

Ok so outside of their own home people have to behave as if somebody watches them 24/7. No offense, but we already have data on what that kind of belief produces and that's the belief that God always watches you. Seems to be beneficial.

[infinitezest]

Not sure you have the option of not believing in the government if you find their policies oppressive. Doesn't really seem like the same thing to me.