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A new policy document released this month outlines the acceptable use of facial recognition technology in Kiwi law enforcement for the first time.
The New Zealand Police has published a policy document outlining how it will use facial recognition technology (FRT) and the “appropriate safeguards” it will have in place to keep its use proportional and appropriate.
The 15 August document breaks the policy down into four parts, explaining what the technology is and why, how, and when it will be employed.
It also defines the technologies under the FRT banner, provides examples of how FRT will be used, and details the use of third-party systems and how data will be stored and eventually destroyed.
The policy notes the technology is a vital part of modern policing but not one that is without valid concerns.
“FRT is a rapidly developing technology, and its use can assist police to deliver high-quality, victim‐focused services by improving the accuracy, scale, effectiveness, and consistency of matching facial images to identities,” the policy said.
“FRT can also support operational efficiency and security, including through the face verification system used with police‐issued mobile phones.”
The technology, however, presents several privacy challenges.
“Use of FRT impacts individual and collective privacy interests,” the policy said.
“A person’s face is unique to that person, and the biometric template [that] a FRT system processes is personal information, and as such is covered by the Privacy Act.”
FRT’s use must always be approved, properly governed and regularly audited. Its use is to be standardised, and its analysis must always be accompanied by an active investigation or other lawful process. Those who use it must be properly trained, and it should not be employed if there is “an unacceptable level of bias or discrimination”.
All images obtained for the use of FRT must be handled and eventually destroyed in line with New Zealand’s Privacy Act of 2020 and Policing Act of 2008. Parts one and two of the NZ Police Retention and Disposal Schedule must also be considered, as well as the fingerprints/biometrics subsection on New Zealand Police’s Storage and Destruction of Fingerprints policy.
Oversight of the policy implementation will be handled by the police force’s Camera Technologies Assurance Committee, while the executive sponsor for FRT is the Assistant Commissioner Investigations.
Finally, the policy states that it must be formally reviewed “at least once every twelve months”.
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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