Public Safety
As every sector of the global economy and nearly every facet of modern society undergo digital transformation, ITIF advocates for policies that spur not just the development of IT innovations, but more importantly their adoption and use throughout the economy. In the area of public safety, ITIF studies how technological advances in areas such as data analytics and high-quality video can enhance national security and emergency response to promote public safety.
November 16, 2021
Should Law Enforcement Use Facial Recognition to Identify Capitol Insurrectionists? Not According to EFF
EFF tries to deflect criticism of its position by arguing law enforcement has many other tools at its disposal—but that claim is a crafty bit of misdirection because EFF has opposed those tools too.
September 18, 2021
Virtue-Signaling Connecticut Town Might Accidentally Ban Its Local Officials From Using iPhones
Activists continue to lobby local governments for facial recognition technology bans, falsely arguing it is racist, sexist, and a threat to free speech. They dismiss or ignore all evidence showing how it keeps people safe, and some local officials have fallen for their arguments hook, line, and sinker.
October 2, 2020
No-Contact Government Means More Than Just Online Services
July 13, 2020
Why New Calls to Subvert Commercial Encryption Are Unjustified
Law enforcement argues that “warrant-proof” encryption presents a unique and urgent threat by preventing them from accessing user data. But history shows that government efforts to subvert encryption would negatively impact individuals and businesses. As such, banning the technology is not the answer.
June 16, 2020
Banning Facial Recognition Will Not Advance Efforts at Police Reform
Regardless of where one stands on police reform, banning facial recognition for law enforcement makes little sense. To understand the reasons, consider some of the most popular ideas for responding to police violence.
May 18, 2020
Podcast: The COVID Privacy Challenge, With Amitai Etzioni
The COVID crisis has shifted the data privacy debate away from its prior focus on individual rights to one more focused on collective needs and responsibilities—for example, when it comes to sharing and analyzing medial data related to the pandemic, or tracking individuals’ contacts. Rob and Jackie discuss these issues with noted scholar and public intellectual Amitai Etzioni.
February 23, 2020
No, Government Should Not Halt the Use of Facial-Recognition Technology
The most common facial-recognition applications are benign—and Fourth Amendment protections, coupled with deeply held views about civil liberties, put limits on what government can do.
November 25, 2019
Facial-Recognition Technology: Closer to Utopia Than Dystopia
Rob Atkinson explains in the National Review that with the proper safeguards, facial-recognition technology can help law enforcement catch criminals.
October 21, 2019
In Attempt to Ban Facial Recognition Technology, Massachusetts Could Inadvertently Ban Facebook, iPhones, and More
The Massachusetts Joint Committee on the Judiciary will hold a hearing on October 22 to consider a bill that would enact a statewide of ban of government use of facial recognition technology. This is the latest overreaction to the fear, uncertainty, and doubt that activists have managed to harness into legislative action, and it risks far-reaching unintended consequences.
September 26, 2019
An Open Letter to Congress on Facial Recognition
A coalition of 39 organizations and individuals from prominent research institutions, trade associations, law enforcement groups, and technology companies advocates for appropriate safeguards so that law enforcement can use facial recognition technology safely, accurately, and effectively.