The statement noted that the CMU police department “has never deployed facial recognition tools on our campus and has no plans to do so.”
Reported 7/6/22: Carnegie Mellon University has drafted a video surveillance policy that would allow its police to use facial recognition technology during criminal investigations.
The provision regarding facial recognition technology, only one sentence long, does not include information on the type of technology CMU would use or describe the specific ways the university would use facial recognition in a criminal investigation.
Peter Kerwin, director of media relations at CMU, said the policy has not been finalized and is still in its internal review stage. He said the university has begun a process to ensure that its community members can provide feedback on the policy before it’s finalized, which typically includes a 30-day comment period through the policy website.
The draft policy, obtained by PublicSource, is intended to guide CMU’s use of security cameras and video security systems as well as the ways the university retains or releases what they record. These tools can help the university detect, prevent and investigate crimes and threats to public safety, the policy states.
The university did not respond to repeated questions on whether CMU currently uses facial recognition technology, how the university intends to use the technology and what technology the university plans to use.
Researchers and civil liberties advocates have argued that facial recognition technology threatens privacy, normalizes surveillance and poses disproportionate risks to people of color and other marginalized identities. A university’s use of this technology, some told PublicSource, could stifle student expression and engagement on campus.
“It really is inconsistent with concepts of academic freedom and intellectual curiosity to use a technology that can track students everywhere they go,” said Chad Marlow, senior policy counsel at the ACLU, who has focused on issues related to privacy, technology and surveillance. “It’s very antithetical to a really robust educational experience.”
The draft policy, obtained by PublicSource, is intended to guide CMU’s use of security cameras and video security systems as well as the ways the university retains or releases what they record. These tools can help the university detect, prevent and investigate crimes and threats to public safety, the policy states.
The university did not respond to repeated questions on whether CMU currently uses facial recognition technology, how the university intends to use the technology and what technology the university plans to use.
Researchers and civil liberties advocates have argued that facial recognition technology threatens privacy, normalizes surveillance and poses disproportionate risks to people of color and other marginalized identities. A university’s use of this technology, some told PublicSource, could stifle student expression and engagement on campus.
“It really is inconsistent with concepts of academic freedom and intellectual curiosity to use a technology that can track students everywhere they go,” said Chad Marlow, senior policy counsel at the ACLU, who has focused on issues related to privacy, technology and surveillance. “It’s very antithetical to a really robust educational experience.”
About Post Author
