NEC America facial recognition adopted by Canadian police

NEC Corporation of America said it would work alongside an FBI-affiliated security group to combat human trafficking, while Canadian media reports the company’s facial recognition software is being used by the Edmonton Police Service to assist in investigations.

Edmonton police use NEC biometrics to identify suspects

World News reports that NEC’s NeoFace Reveal facial recognition software has been used by the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) since early 2022 to identify suspects in investigations.

EPS says the software will be used to identify a suspect in photos and CCTV footage through biometrics that compares the image to a mugshot database, made up of face photos of people who have been criminally charged. Edmonton police say facial recognition can also help identify detainees who provide false information.

Superintendent Warren Dreichel, head of EPS’ information technology division, told Global News that only “a select group of trained technicians” will be able to access and use NeoFace Reveal. Superintendent Devin Laforce, a member of EPS’ Research and Development Division, clarified, saying that requests for investigators to use the software must first be directed to technicians before it can be used. Potential matches are reviewed by technicians before the investigation can take any further action, the EPS added.

While Laforce expects facial recognition to become more accurate and lead to more identifications, he stressed that “nothing is concluded by facial recognition per se” and that the method only produces “suggestions “of investigation to link the person to the crime. “There is no power of arrest,” he told Global News.

Edmonton isn’t the first Canadian city to contract NEC’s facial recognition software, as Toronto police used NEC’s technology in 2018 to match suspects against its internal database. EPS says the technology will also work with the Calgary Photo Database.

EPS sought to assure the public of the privacy safeguards and protections it implemented, with Dreichel stating, “It is not used to live stream, monitor or monitor these environments. The architecture, the technology itself, is not tied to any of these live systems.

The police department said it complies with Alberta’s freedom of information and protection of privacy laws and submitted a privacy impact assessment to the Office of the Information Commissioner and to Alberta Privacy Shield “several months ago” but has yet to receive a result.

A spokesperson for the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta told Global News that “this technology raises several privacy considerations, and we appreciate the opportunity to review PSE program under the Alberta Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act”. The spokesperson commented on the privacy impact review: “Our review is ongoing. There is no execution time. »

NEC joins FBI-affiliated group to fight human trafficking

NEC announced that it would participate in an anti-human trafficking initiative by the InfraGard National Members Alliance, a nonprofit organization affiliated with the FBI.

The partnership, entered into in honor of National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, includes programs that support awareness and prevention of human trafficking and information gathering between the public and private sectors to build community resilience, a press release said. Mark Ikeno, CEO and President of NEC Corporation of America, said NEC “will use our technology and assets to advance the common goal of keeping all Americans safe and secure.”

According to the announcement, there were more than 1,700 human trafficking cases pending with the FBI as of January 5, 2022. About 95% of FBI human trafficking cases involve sex trafficking, and the rest involve sex trafficking. labor trafficking.

The InfraGard National Members Alliance, or InfraGard National, is dedicated to protecting the American people and critical infrastructure.

Maureen O’Connell, President of the National Alliance of InfraGard Members, said: “Human trafficking is a threat not only to public safety and national security, but also to the dignity and worth of all human life. Law enforcement and the private sector must work together to raise awareness of atrocities in cities and neighborhoods across America.

Article topics

biometric identification | biometrics | Canada | criminal identification | facial recognition | NEC | NECAM | police