NSW Police Deactivate PhotoTrac Facial Recognition Capability.
NSW Police Deactivate PhotoTrac – NSW Police have switched off facial recognition functionality in the Suspect Identification System (SIS) following concerns around algorithmic accuracy and bias.
The move has deactivated the long-standing PhotoTrac facial recognition system used by the force since 2004. The system, based on a Cognitec algorithm, compares CCTV images with a database of over one million mugshots to assist in generating suspect lineups.
It has not been updated since 2011 and was recently found in international testing to show disproportionately high error rates for some demographics. No public testing for racial bias has been conducted locally.
NSW Police declined to provide specific reasons for the decision to disable the technology, citing confidentiality. However, Minister for Police Yasmin Catley confirmed the deactivation in response to Budget Estimates questions.
Insiders say facial recognition has been used 371 times this financial year by NSW Police to generate investigative leads, down from 561 the previous year. Police have maintained that facial recognition is used only as an investigative aid and not as sole evidence for charges.
The retirement of PhotoTrac comes despite a 2021 market engagement to replace it with a more comprehensive biometric platform. That proposal coincided with the Australian Human Rights Commission’s call for a moratorium on facial recognition in public decision-making due to the associated risks to civil liberties.
The NSW Police still uses FaceNet, a Google-affiliated open-source deep learning platform. You can learn more about creating an open source FaceNet solution here or read more SEN news here.
“NSW Police Deactivate PhotoTrac Facial Recognition Capability.”
