Proposed Bill Would Extend Colorado’s Facial Recognition Task Force

House Bill 1468, which aims to broaden the responsibilities and membership of the Colorado General Assembly’s task force on facial recognition and biometric technologies, has advanced through a committee with a narrow margin of support.

Initially established in 2022, the original task force was primarily focused on assessing the use of facial recognition services by state and local governments. The proposed bill not only intends to expand the task force’s membership from 15 to 17 by adding an expert in generative AI and another in biometrics or social media but also shifts the task force’s focus to include broader considerations of artificial intelligence and biometric technologies used beyond government applications.

The proposed expansion reflects broad technological advances since the task force’s creation, but it has been met with mixed reactions. Proponents, like Bill sponsor Rep. Brianna Titone, argue that these changes are necessary to keep pace with rapid technological developments and to ensure that emerging uses of these technologies are adequately examined. However, some stakeholders, including ACLU member Anaya Robinson, feel that broadening the task force’s scope could dilute its original mission of focusing on governmental uses, which they consider most critical.

The issue of racial bias was also raised during committee discussions. Rep. Naquetta Ricks highlighted studies showing significant error rates in recognizing Black faces, suggesting that expanding the task force’s scope without addressing these issues could lead to grave injustices, particularly in law enforcement. Some legislators, like Rep. Ricks and Rep. Sheila Lieder, have also called for more diverse representation on the task force to include voices from communities most affected by these technologies.

Despite these concerns, the bill passed through the committee by a 6-5 vote, reflecting a division in opinions over the best approach to regulating and understanding the implications of AI and facial recognition technologies in Colorado.

Source: The Denver Gazette

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May 3, 2024 – by Cass Kennedy