Public Perspectives on Facial Recognition Technology: Attitudes, Preferences, Hopes, and Concerns

Organization

University of Regina

Published

2023

Project Leader(s)

Justin Longo

Summary

One application of artificial intelligence (AI) that has entered public consciousness in recent years is “facial recognition technology” (FRT), which is used to identify individuals by comparing an image of their face to a database of known faces for a match. FRT can measure a person’s attentiveness, gauge characteristics like honesty, or record data such as a person’s approximate age and gender. Private sector actors are using FRT for things such as identity verification, monitoring remote workers, and proactively identifying customers who enter a retail store. However, concerns surrounding FRT have emerged as critics identify the broader implications of ubiquitous surveillance. The question of public acceptance of FRT is timely and important for ongoing social deliberations about its appropriate use.

This research investigates what Canadians deem acceptable in the context of FRT applications used by private sector actors, focusing on attitudes towards, preferences with respect to, hopes for, and concerns about the use of FRT, as well as the policy-relevant aspects of their acceptance of FRT use by private sector actors. A survey of approximately 3000 Canadian residents from all provinces gathered information on attitudes towards FRT used in a variety of settings focusing on safety, privacy, fairness, and discrimination concerns. Statistical analysis identified the factors that predict public support for the use of FRT by private sector actors. The findings from this research will have implications for the adoption of FRT by the private sector and for the development of legislation and regulation in response to its use.

Project deliverables are available in the following language(s)

English

• Scoping Review Final Report
• Scoping Review Brief
• Survey Final Report
• Survey Summary Brief
• JSGS Policy Brief - The Politics and Governance of Facial Recognition Technology
• The Conversation Canada draft article
• ITLP Tech Talk January 25 2023 - Creeping Normality - Public Presentation Slides (delivered January 25 2023 at UCLA)
• Executive Education Draft Syllabus Outline

OPC Funded Project

This project received funding support through the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada’s Contributions Program. The opinions expressed in the summary and report(s) are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. Summaries have been provided by the project authors. Please note that the projects appear in their language of origin.

Contact Information

Dr. Justin Longo, Associate Professor
Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy
University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Parkway
Regina, Saskatchewan  S4S 0A2
E-mail: Dr. Justin Longo
Telephone: 306-450-5345