A House of Commons committee is recommending a moratorium on the use of facial recognition technology by the federal police and Canadian businesses. (Photo: Canadian Press)
Ottawa. The House of Commons committee is recommending a moratorium on the use of facial recognition technology by the federal police and Canadian businesses, unless there is a court order or consultation with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.
In a report released on Tuesday, the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics also calls on the government to develop a regulatory framework for the use, bans, monitoring and privacy protections of this new tool.
Facial recognition technology compares an image of a face against a database of millions of photographs to identify a person.
Committee members say appropriate privacy protections should address issues such as the accuracy, retention and transparency of facial recognition initiatives. They also recommend a comprehensive informed consent strategy for Canadians to use their personal information.
MEPs also want the government to amend the Privacy Act to prevent the private sector from capturing images of Canadians from the Internet or public places to download databases, facial recognition technology or artificial intelligence algorithms.
The Committee considers that the current legislative regime in Canada is insufficient to adequately regulate facial recognition and artificial intelligence technologies.
“Without proper guidance, facial recognition technology and other artificial intelligence tools can cause irreparable harm to some people,” the report says.
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