In December, numerous Edmonton police officers were on patrol in the city equipped with body cameras utilizing artificial intelligence to scan faces, specifically targeting “high-risk offenders.” The Edmonton Police Service conducted the first trial of bodycam facial recognition technology in Canada, as revealed by documents and emails obtained by CBC News.
The AI-powered facial recognition software was trained to identify approximately 7,000 individuals on a watchlist, consisting of mugshots of individuals with serious criminal warrants or flagged as potential safety risks. Key details from the documents include the privacy assessment submitted to Alberta’s privacy watchdog, EPS experiencing a “critical fault” system outage that led to project delays, and the facial recognition model being provided by Corsight AI, an Israeli company known for its technology used in mass surveillance in Gaza.
Researchers expressed privacy concerns regarding the project and the use of facial recognition technology. Kate Robertson, a senior research associate at the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab, highlighted the potential risks associated with the algorithmic surveillance program. Despite concerns raised, Edmonton police commission chair Ben Henderson stated that the oversight body had no objections to the pilot and followed standard procedures for evaluating new technology.
The bodycams, manufactured by Axon, were mandated for Alberta police officers, with recording initiated manually during investigative or enforcement activities. The facial recognition feature only activated when recording began and had limitations in poor lighting or beyond a four-meter range. The privacy assessment submitted to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner outlined EPS’s safeguards and legal justifications for the project.
EPS noted that the automated facial recognition technology constitutes proactive surveillance, with images of unmatched individuals being deleted after the proof of concept. While Axon manufactured the body-worn cameras, Corsight AI provided the facial recognition model for the pilot project. Concerns were raised about the possible sharing of sensitive information with Axon under certain circumstances.
The use of AI-driven facial recognition technology on police bodycams has sparked controversy, with concerns raised about privacy implications and ethical considerations. The RCMP prohibits the use of such technology, emphasizing the potential risks of surveillance on public individuals. Despite ethical concerns, EPS maintained that the project complied with privacy policies and legal standards.
The project’s first phase was intended to conclude in December but may have been extended due to a system outage. EPS sought an extension to evaluate the data thoroughly for a potential second phase involving officer notifications. The Edmonton police commission and EPS leadership will review the trial’s results before deciding on its future implementation.