So, our government is okay with the utilization of a technology that has been researched, and continues to show racial bias?

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

Canadians, we are told that we live in a democratic country that embraces inclusion and equality and facilitates an environment that respects human rights and fundamental freedoms. In this projected system, we the people are allowed to exercise free will. This includes decisions that affect our lives. We are told that democracy leads to:

• a better quality of life
• a more equitable, gender equal and inclusive society
• greater security and stability nationally and globally
• a path to prosperity

According to their own website Canada is advancing an inclusive approach to democracy. This includes:

• women in all their diversity
• young people
• vulnerable and marginalized groups

Hmmm!

It is incredible to me how blatantly hypocritical the Canadian government is, and the only reason that they don’t get called out, is because we are not made aware of the foolishness. An exclusive approach to democracy; let’s see how they have been doing with that.

Founded in 1964, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association is a national human rights organization committed to defending the rights, dignity, safety, and freedoms of all people in Canada. In 2021, the CCLA called on the Liberal Party of Canada to cease and desist the use of facial fingerprinting for its nomination process.

“By using it for the purposes of nominating candidates for federal election, the Liberal Party of Canada is tacitly endorsing an unreliable, racist technology,” said Michael Bryant, Executive Director of the CCLA.

“Besides its impact on the privacy rights of those participating in the process, the Liberal Party’s use of the controversial technology takes unfair advantage of its exemption from Canadian privacy laws, and sends the wrong message to municipal, provincial and federal election officials that this technology is ready for prime time.”

Facial recognition technology (facial fingerprinting); for nomination processes in our democratic country. Canadian government, tell us more about this inclusive approach to democracy.

Let’s start with this; facial fingerprinting, or facial recognition technology is highly contested in Canada, and the Liberal Party of Canada utilizes the technology in its candidate nomination process.

Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) has emerged as a powerful tool of significant interest to both law enforcement and commercial entities. Used responsibly and in the right circumstances, it has the potential to offer great benefits to society. For instance, it can support national security objectives, assist police in solving crime or help authorities find missing persons.

The technology scales easily, costs relatively little to use, and can be deployed as an add-on to existing surveillance infrastructure, which might explain its growing appeal in Canada and abroad.

At the same time, facial recognition can be a highly invasive surveillance technology, and studies have shown that the technology and algorithms have a large racial bias, has the potential to erode privacy and undermine freedoms and human rights such as free expression and peaceful assembly.

In 2021, CCLA and other civil society organizations advocated for a moratorium or ban on this technology pending a critical pan-Canadian discussion.

“By using facial fingerprinting, the Liberal Party signals to municipalities and provinces that facial fingerprinting technology is adequate for voter ID purposes, tacitly endorsing a technology known for discriminatory treatment of Black faces, Indigenous faces and people of color. Adopting one of the most invasive, controversial technologies as part of a critical internal process is wrong,” Michael Bryant explained during the original advocacy stage in 2021.

Two years later, there has finally been a shift in this case. At the end of April this year, Tashi Alford-Duguid, Staff lawyer at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) made the following statement:

“The Liberal Party of Canada has just confirmed that it has stopped its use of facial recognition technology (FRT) for identification purposes in nomination races in BC, while being investigated by the province’s Information and Privacy Commissioner.

This investigation followed a June 2021 letter by the CCLA to the President of the party, demanding it cease its use of FRT. 

While the decision to stop use of FRT in BC is an important step, it also means that the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of BC will not have an opportunity to complete its investigation of potential abuses of FRT during political nominations.

We continue to call for the Liberal Party of Canada to cease its use of FRT in all their nominations across the country. Facial Recognition Technology raises serious concerns about invasions of privacy and reliability and is prone to considerable racial bias—which leads to discriminatory results.” 

So, our government is okay with the utilization of a technology that has been researched, and continues to show racial bias?

The CCLA has renewed calls for a national moratorium on the use of facial recognition technology pending a critical pan-Canadian discussion about how this technology should be used. They are asking that all political parties at all levels across the country respect individuals’ rights to privacy, autonomy, and personal integrity, by not collecting, or using any person’s ‘facial fingerprint’.