Smart City

Smart City Sentinel

Survey Finds Few Americans Want Limits on Facial Recognition

By Ken Briodagh

Despite occasional media frenzies raising alarms about facial recognition technology—such as news that the Secret Service would test a system outside the White House—a new national survey from the Center for Data Innovation reportedly found that only one in four Americans want government to strictly limit the technology, and that support drops to fewer than one in five if it would come at the cost of public safety.

Similarly, only 20 percent of Americans support limiting use of facial recognition if it would mean airports can’t use the technology to speed up security lines, and just 24 percent want limits if it would keep stores from using the technology to stop shoplifting.

“People are often suspicious of new technologies, but in this case, they seem to have warmed up to facial recognition technology quite quickly,” said Daniel Castro, director, Center for Data Innovation. “Perhaps most importantly, Americans have made it clear they do not want regulations that limit the use of facial recognition if it comes at the cost of public safety.”

The Center’s findings come from a national online poll of 3,151 U.S. adult Internet users conducted December 13 through December 16, 2018.

The survey found that support for police using facial recognition increases depending on the technology’s accuracy: If the software is right 80 percent of the time, then 39 percent of respondents agreed with letting police use it while 32 percent disagreed. If the software is right 90 percent of the time, then 47 percent of respondents agreed with police using it and 25 percent disagreed. And if the software is right 100 percent of the time, then 59 percent agreed with police using it and 16 percent disagreed.

That finding of support is noteworthy, as the National Institute of Science and Technology recently found that just 0.2 percent of facial recognition database searches failed in 2018, down from 4 percent in 2014 and 5 percent in 2010.

“The survey results suggest that one of the most important ways for police to gain public support for using facial recognition technology in their communities is to use the most accurate tools available,” said Castro. “People are willing to get behind police use of facial recognition technology as long as it is accurate and makes their communities safer.”


The IoT Evolution Expo, and collocated events, IoT Evolution Health, LPWAN Expo, The Smart City Event, and IIoT Conference, will take place Jan. 29 to Feb 1 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Visit IoTEvolutionExpo.com to register now.

Edited by Ken Briodagh
Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. [Free eNews Subscription]

Editorial Director

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Related Articles

'Smart Gas Meter Penetration Rate in Europe Reached 45% in 2023'

By: Alex Passett    3/13/2024

According to new data from Berg Insight, he installed base of smart gas meters in Europe amounted to 55.9 million in 2023, equivalent to a penetration…

Read More

Smarter Grid Planning and Operations: Itron Acquires Elpis Squard to Expand Grid Edge Intelligence Portfolio

By: Alex Passett    3/11/2024

To accelerate the energy transition needs for grid planning, operational and engineering teams and processes, Itron officially announced the strategic…

Read More

IoT Evolution Expo Gold Sponsor Libelium is Changing the Electric Grid with Smart DLR Solutions

By: Alex Passett    2/13/2024

IoT Evolution Expo 2024 is taking place from February 13-15 at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Under the grand umbre…

Read More

A New Record for Connectivity: 'World's Longest-Range Wi-Fi HaLow Solution' Demonstrated by Morse Micro

By: Alex Passett    2/6/2024

Morse Micro recently announced the success of what it has called "the world's first live demonstration of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED HaLow technology extending t…

Read More

'The World's First Smart Rainforest': How NTT and ClimateForce Plan to Use Smart Technology for Environmental Restoration

By: Alex Passett    1/30/2024

ClimateForce and Smart Management Platform (SMP) technology company NTT have announced their partnership with the goal of creating the world's first "…

Read More