Facial Recognition Moratorium Briefing #1: Implications of a Moratorium on the Use of Facial Recognition Technology in Canada
Taylor Owen, Derek Ruths, Stephanie Cairns, Sara Parker, Charlotte Reboul, Ellen Rowe, and Sonja Solomun
August 18, 2020
This briefing is one of two on Facial Recognition (FR) Technology. This briefing addresses how FR works and is used, as well as the implications of a federal moratorium, while briefing #2 explores the conditions for lifting said moratorium.
Since March 2020, calls for Canada to impose a national moratorium on facial recognition technology, especially for companies providing FR services to law enforcement agencies, have increased.1 2 3
A national moratorium would provide legislators time to develop a comprehensive and effective policy regulating the development, use, and distribution of FR technology and the data it collects, uses, and shares.
Current FR technology is not infallible. FR service cannot be relied on by law enforcement due to its potential to discriminate against certain demographics and exacerbate conditions of inequality.
This briefing outlines the technological, social, and policy, and legal conditions required to lift a Canadian moratorium on FR systems. Readers will learn the concerns, limitations, and potential harms of FR technology, as well as the technical implications of a federal moratorium. The 2nd briefing will conclude with the technical, social, and policy conditions for lifting a federal moratorium as well as recommendations on safely using FR technology.
