Welsh police used facial recognition technology to scan Beyoncé concertgoers in Cardiff in May this year, aiming to find matches to a watch list of suspected terrorists and pedophiles. The use of facial recognition at events has been criticized, but South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Alun Michael supported its use, stating that it was announced and not secretive. However, concerns about privacy and the potential for wrongful arrests persist due to the technology’s track record of biased misidentifications.
**Police Scanned Beyoncé Concert for Pedophiles and Terrorists**
Welsh police recently used facial recognition technology to scan concertgoers at a Beyoncé concert in Cardiff. The purpose was to search for matches to a watch list of suspected terrorists and pedophiles. This practice has become more common since the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017, as authorities are now looking for potential threats at large events.
South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Alun Michael explained that the reason for also searching for pedophiles was the large number of young girls attending the concert. He stated that the use of facial recognition at the concert was announced in advance and reported to him, rather than being done secretly.
However, this announcement was not made in advance to the concert attendees. As they entered the venue, they passed by a van housing the facial recognition technology without knowing.
While real-time facial recognition has faced criticism, Michael believed its use at the concert was justified. He did not provide information on whether anyone on the watch list was apprehended, but reassured that the scanned footage was kept for a maximum of 31 days. Nonetheless, this may still raise concerns among privacy-conscious concertgoers.
It’s worth noting that similar uses of facial recognition have occurred before. For example, at a Taylor Swift concert in 2019, the technology was deployed to identify her stalkers, and Madison Square Garden reportedly used facial recognition to remove attorneys from concerts if their firms had litigation against the venue.
Due to concerns surrounding privacy and potential misidentifications leading to wrongful arrests, many artists, including Tom Morello and Zack De La Rocha of Rage Against The Machine, have pledged not to perform at venues using facial recognition.
While the aim of catching criminals is laudable, the use of AI facial recognition technology can be seen as intrusive due to its largely unregulated nature. If there were more success stories and evidence of tangible results, the privacy trade-off might be easier to justify. However, the negative perception surrounding facial recognition remains due to biased misidentifications and concerns of Orwellian overreach.
In response to these concerns, 65 British politicians called for a temporary halt on the deployment of live facial recognition technology by the police earlier this year.
If your company wants to embrace AI and stay competitive, consider learning from the police’s use of facial recognition at the Beyoncé concert. Understand how AI can redefine your work processes by identifying automation opportunities and setting measurable outcomes. Choose an AI solution that aligns with your needs and provides customization. Implement AI gradually, starting with a pilot and expanding its usage cautiously.
For expert advice on AI KPI management and continuous insights into leveraging AI, reach out to us at hello@itinai.com. Discover how AI can transform your sales processes and customer engagement through our AI Sales Bot. This solution from itinai.com/aisalesbot automates customer interaction 24/7 and manages interactions across all stages of the customer journey. Explore these AI solutions to redefine your company’s way of work.
