Columbia County Implements Facial Recognition Alongside New Privacy Policies

Columbia County, New York, has announced new facial recognition and privacy policies alongside upgrades to its surveillance camera system, which now includes facial and license plate recognition software. The move is meant to address privacy concerns raised by residents who worry about the overuse of surveillance technology.

Michael Chameides, the Hudson 3rd Ward representative on the Columbia County Board of Supervisors, emphasized the importance of protecting residents’ privacy.

“We want people to have reasonable expectations of privacy,” said Chameides. “That means we would limit how people are tracked and how that information is archived. We also want to reduce the number of people who have access to that database, so it’s really just a need-to-know basis as it pertains to the biggest public safety issues.”

The new policies are designed to limit how individuals are tracked and how their information is stored, with access to the database restricted to those with a legitimate need for public safety purposes.

The move comes in the wake of the city of Detroit settling a lawsuit with Robert Williams, who was wrongfully arrested after facial recognition software erroneously matched his driver’s license photo to security footage.

As part of the settlement, the Detroit Police Department has agreed to prohibit arrests based solely on facial recognition results and to require additional evidence before making an arrest. The department will also review all cases involving facial recognition since 2017 and provide officers with training on the technology and its risks.

Source: Public News Service

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August 1, 2024 – by Ali Nassar-Smith