Law Enforcement

A state in Australia plans to outfit prisons with face recognition. Corrective Services NSW, the government agency that operates nearly every prison in New South Wales, contracted the U.S.-based IT firm Unisys to replace a previous system.

EPIC published a summary of AI-related laws that states and cities considered between January 2021 and August 2022.

A weaponized AI system intended to protect students has been grounded. Axon, which makes law-enforcement equipment such as tasers and body cameras, canceled a plan to sell remote-controlled drones capable of firing electroshock darts.

Face recognition algorithms have come under scrutiny for misidentifying individuals. A U.S. government agency tested over 1,000 of them to see which are the most reliable.

What if AI-enabled monitoring isn’t just for dictators and despots?The fear: Under the pretext of maintaining law and order, even countries founded on a commitment to individual rights allow police to take advantage of smart-city infrastructure and smart-home devices.

As governments worldwide mull their AI strategies and policies, the Biden administration called for a “bill of rights” to mitigate adverse consequences.What’s new: Top advisors to the U.S. president announced a plan to issue rules

Amazon unveiled a robot that patrols users’ homes, scopes out strangers, and warns of perceived dangers.

Greece’s border agents last year had enough Covid tests to swab only 17 percent of people who sought to enter the country. They managed the shortage by using an AI system to flag high-risk visitors.

Human rights officials called for limits on some uses of AI.What’s new: Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, appealed to the organization’s member states to suspend certain

A crime-fighting AI company altered evidence to please police, a new investigation claims — the latest in a rising chorus of criticism. ShotSpotter modified the system’s findings in some cases.

A U.S. government watchdog agency called for stronger face recognition protocols for federal agencies. An audit found that, while many employ face recognition, they may not know where it came from, how it’s being used, or the hazards involved.

The European Union proposed sweeping restrictions on AI technologies and applications. The executive arm of the 27-nation EU published draft rules that aim to regulate, and in some cases ban, a range of AI systems.

The UK’s electronic surveillance agency published its plan to use AI. Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) outlined its intention to use machine learning to combat security threats, human trafficking, and disinformation — and to do so ethically — in a new report.

Police are increasingly able to track motor vehicles throughout the U.S. using a network of AI-powered cameras — many owned by civilians. Flock, which sells automatic license plate readers is encouraging enforcers to use its network to monitor cars and trucks outside their jurisdiction.

Computer vision is alerting authorities the moment someone draws a gun. Several companies offer deep learning systems that enable surveillance cameras to spot firearms and quickly notify security guards or police.