On Tuesday, the Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, signed a law into place banning facial recognition and other biometric technology in schools, effective until June 2022. The law affects both public and private schools and is in place until a study can be conducted with input from teachers, parents, and experts to gain a deeper understanding of how the technology impacts the education system.
The main concerns with the use of this technology are with the privacy of students, even though the technology was put into place to protect the schools from any unauthorized adults that threaten students’ safety. Civil liberty groups have also expressed concerns with research showing the algorithms used with facial recognition technology are more likely to misidentify those with darker skin. The technology isn’t banned forever, and there is the possibility that the technology can be reinstated after the study is completed.
Read More: New York Issues First-In-Nation Moratorium On Facial Recognition In Schools
