BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
Your Data Your Rights
FIPA and the Right 2 Your Face
FIPA is a member of the Right2YourFace Coalition.
Facial recognition technology (FRT) is a type of biometric recognition technology that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to identify individuals through their facial features. FRT functions by extracting biometric information based on key facial features and makes comparisons between live and stored biometric templates. Facial recognition software produces recommended matches when it identifies a level of similarity between images that exceeds a set confidence threshold.
We are working with partners from civil society, academia, legal, and journalistic communities to advocate for the development of laws and policies to effectively regulate the use of facial recognition technologies and other biometric surveillance.
In Canada, facial images are considered to be “highly sensitive” biometric information because they are “a unique and permanent characteristic of our body, largely stable over time, and a key to our identity.” As such, they require a higher standard of data protection.
Absent explicit legislative direction, public and private entities in Canada, including public safety authorities and retail corporations, have regularly violated individuals’ privacy rights through their use of FRT. Its widespread accuracy issues pose heightened risks to equity-deserving communities. Its use in public spaces online or off undermines people’s ability to gather anonymously, right to freedom of expression, and contributes to mass surveillance. Regulation is needed to clearly define the context in which FRT could potentially be used, and to ensure the laws that govern its use safeguard individuals’ rights, given the sensitivity of the information and the risks of harmful impacts.
The Right2YourFace Coalition has developed public education, case studies and resource materials on facial recognition technology and contributed to policy conversations about this important issue.
The work of the Right2YourFace Coalition is informed by commitments to equity, privacy, transparency, and human agency & democratic oversight.
As part of this work, FIPA is a signatory to the Coalition’s Joint letter on Bill C-27 (the federal government’s legislation on privacy and artificial intelligence).
Key C-27 Recommendations
- Biometric information is sensitive information and must be defined as such
- “Legitimate business purposes” requires a better definition to protect against abuse
- What is a high-impact system?
- National Security is absent from the Bill but must be addressed within it
- Collective – not just individual – harm must be considered
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FIPA is a member of the Right2YourFace Coalition.
Facial recognition technology (FRT) is a type of biometric recognition technology that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to identify individuals through their facial features. FRT functions by extracting biometric information based on key facial features and makes comparisons between live and stored biometric templates. Facial recognition software produces recommended matches when it identifies a level of similarity between images that exceeds a set confidence threshold.
We are working with partners from civil society, academia, legal, and journalistic communities to advocate for the development of laws and policies to effectively regulate the use of facial recognition technologies and other biometric surveillance.
In Canada, facial images are considered to be “highly sensitive” biometric information because they are “a unique and permanent characteristic of our body, largely stable over time, and a key to our identity.” As such, they require a higher standard of data protection.
Absent explicit legislative direction, public and private entities in Canada, including public safety authorities and retail corporations, have regularly violated individuals’ privacy rights through their use of FRT. Its widespread accuracy issues pose heightened risks to equity-deserving communities. Its use in public spaces online or off undermines people’s ability to gather anonymously, right to freedom of expression, and contributes to mass surveillance. Regulation is needed to clearly define the context in which FRT could potentially be used, and to ensure the laws that govern its use safeguard individuals’ rights, given the sensitivity of the information and the risks of harmful impacts.
The Right2YourFace Coalition has developed public education, case studies and resource materials on facial recognition technology and contributed to policy conversations about this important issue.
The work of the Right2YourFace Coalition is informed by commitments to equity, privacy, transparency, and human agency & democratic oversight.
As part of this work, FIPA is a signatory to the Coalition’s Joint letter on Bill C-27 (the federal government’s legislation on privacy and artificial intelligence).
Key C-27 Recommendations
- Biometric information is sensitive information and must be defined as such
- “Legitimate business purposes” requires a better definition to protect against abuse
- What is a high-impact system?
- National Security is absent from the Bill but must be addressed within it
- Collective – not just individual – harm must be considered
Tags