Professor Joh Comments on Law Enforcement and Technology for Ars Technica
Professor Elizabeth Joh commented for the technology news and information website Ars Technica on the Chicago Police Department's recent use of facial recognition technology to identify and arrest a robbery suspect. Joh said that she was not aware of any police department "that claims to have caught a suspect solely through facial technology," and pointed out that the potential for error is a significant concern with such technologies.
"The greatest concern with any big data tool, whether facial recognition technology or [license plate readers], is its accuracy and the amount of error we should tolerate when the police decide to interfere with individual liberty," she said.
Professor Joh's scholarship focuses on criminal procedure and policing, with a special emphasis on DNA evidence, undercover policing, and new surveillance technologies.