BUFFALO, N.Y. — Technology that was once thought to be the future of school security is now a thing of the past.
The state’s education commissioner, Betty A. Rosa, announced on Wednesday that she would be banning the use of facial recognition technology in schools across the state.
It follows a 49-page report released last month that found the risks of using facial recognition technology outweighed the benefits, citing the technology’s tendency to misidentify people of color and concerns students' biometric data could be compromised.
Monica Wallace is a State Assembly member representing the 143rd District and has been one of technology’s biggest challengers
In 2020, she challenged the state to take a closer look at the technology, sponsoring a bill that placed a moratorium on all schools across the state from using facial recognition until the state conducted a comprehensive study.
“I felt that we really needed to look at the issue before we decided to go spend all of that money,” she said. “You don't want to wind up sending a SWAT team in when somebody's carrying a broomstick, and it's being identified as a rifle.”
Wallace wasn’t the only one with concerns. Three years ago, a lawsuit was filed on behalf of Families in the Lockport School District, alleging the district’s purchase of the facial recognition software violated student data protection laws.
Mark Laurrie is Niagara Falls City School District’s superintendent. While he agreed with Wednesday's decision, he worries it could jeopardize the future of AI security like his district’s weapon detection system.
“To not use the technology that can keep people safe in this world where there are some very crazy, nefarious, terrible people is not doing our due diligence to protect our students and our citizens,” he said.
While this ban is in place for facial recognition technology, school districts can still use other biometric technology like fingerprints and retina patterns if they consider privacy implications, impact on civil rights, the effectiveness of technology and receive parental input.