Tag: facial recognition
Recognize Facial Recognition!
June 16, 2021Cory Harris, Managing Editor
I guess the Baltimore City Council didn’t read my blog from two weeks ago. It should have.
Maybe the council would have reconsidered the unfathomable decision it made on June 8 to approve what would be the most extreme ban by a local jurisdiction on personal and business applications of facial recognition technology.
The vote was 13-2 in favor of the ban, which would most certainly place security on the backburner at a time when security should be front and center on the priority...
Baltimore City Council advances extreme ban on facial recognition
June 1, 2021Cory Harris, Managing Editor
SILVER SPRING, Md.—The Baltimore City Council’s Public Safety & Government Operations Committee moved on May 26, 2021 to advance a proposal that would ban nearly all applications of facial recognition technology in the city.
Prior to the vote, the Security Industry Association (SIA) and other leading technology and business groups wrote a letter to the committee expressing concerns about the profound negative impact of the measure for residents of Baltimore. Importantly, the letter...
Are Americans changing their tune on facial recognition?
October 7, 2020Paul Ragusa, Editor
If you have been paying attention to the headlines and the many bans on facial recognition that have popped up over the past year, new survey results — showing that 68 percent of Americans believe facial recognition technology can make society safer — are certainly encouraging.
Leading independent polling firm Schoen Cooperman Research recently conducted a nationwide poll on Americans’ views of facial recognition technology. The survey of 1,000 adults found that most Americans...
Specifically Speaking with John Acosta
September 16, 2020Paul Ragusa, Editor
What is your role at the company?
I am the Lead Security Consultant for The Clarient Group (TCG). I design and specify all the security systems required in a project, and work with my teammates to integrate the security systems with other building systems, to the greatest extent possible.
What kinds of systems do you design/specify and what services does the company provide?
I have been very fortunate to be in positions to design the full gamut of security systems both physical and...
SIA speaks out on Portland's rigid facial recognition ban
September 10, 2020SSN Staff
SILVER SPRING, Md.—The Security Industry Association (SIA) said that the decision by the Portland, Ore. city council to ban facial recognition technology use by businesses in places of public accommodation starting January 2021 and to prohibit all city government use of facial recognition technologies are shortsighted decisions that do not consider effective and beneficial applications of facial recognition.
“Turning back the clock on technological advancement through a complete ban...
Alcatraz and Boon Edam partner
May 8, 2020SSN Staff
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.— Alcatraz, developer of secure frictionless access control products, and Boon Edam a global leader in security entrances and architectural revolving doors, have announced an integration that delivers touchless access control with facial recognition for mantrap portal circlelock units, and similar entrance solutions used in a variety of industries.
“The Boon Edam and Alcatraz technology partnership is huge,” said Boon Edam Vice President of Technology and Product Support...
Security industry goes virtual during crisis
March 25, 2020Ginger Hill, Managing Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine—As more and more city-based governments across the U.S. order residents to “shelter-in-place” and “non-essential” businesses to close, not only is security considered an “essential” business that can and must remain open and functional, but it's been quite refreshing to see that the industry has transitioned to the virtual world, almost frictionlessly and seamlessly. Of course, “shelter in place” roughly translates to “work...
SIA applauds NIST's facial recognition performance report
December 23, 2019SSN Staff
SILVER SPRING, Md.—The Security Industry Association (SIA) offered sincere gratitude to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for its thoughtful and diligent work in producing a report evaluating the performance of current facial recognition technology across demographic groups. Because facial recognition is a fast-advancing technology in a constant cycle of improvements and is widely adopted across the public and private sectors, reports from non-biased organizations, like...
SIA, other organizations urge Congress to consider facts, benefits of facial recognition
October 21, 2019SSN Staff
SILVER SPRING, Md.—As part of a coalition of organizations and trade associations, the Security Industry Association (SIA) issued a letter to Congress outlining its concerns regarding potential bans on public-sector uses of facial recognition technology. The letter authors encourage the federal government to collaborate with all stakeholders to address concerns about the use of facial recognition technology and recommend that federal leaders provide a consistent set of rules across the United...
Despite privacy concerns, readers bullish on biometrics
August 23, 2019Paul Ragusa, Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine—With the debate on biometrics and data privacy heating up, and more and more states seeking to regulate the collection, use and retention of biometric data, this month's News Poll focuses on the future of biometrics and its role in security.Interestingly, despite privacy concerns, readers are bullish on biometrics. While a whopping 94 percent of respondents feel there should be biometric laws in place, an overwhelming number, 76 percent, think facial recognition will continue...