Google Places Hold on Facial Recognition Expansion Due to Dubious Tactics

The goal, Google reported, was to ensure a diverse set of faces are included in its database so the upcoming Pixel 4 doesn’t struggle with facial recognition. This is a legitimate problem in phones, and it seems that the only way to solve it is to simply scan a more diverse crowd of people. However, a recent report claims that the company was specifically targeting homeless black people to improve it. This report came from the New York Daily News, who claim that Google hired contractors to do the scanning on the streets for them. However, according to a Google spokesperson, they’re suspending the program after these allegations have come to light. These contractors, from the company of Randstad were sent to Atlanta to do the bidding. There, an order was made that specifically stated to target black homeless people, though a Google manager was not around for this, says an anonymous contractor. Another one stated that homeless people and college students in California are the best targets, considering recipients are given $5 gift cards and they would be the most likely to take them, allegedly. On top of this, it has been reported that managers told their workers to rush recipients through forms of consent, tell them that the phone screen wasn’t a recording, and other misleading practices to gather as many scans as possible in a short amount of time. Google claims that these tactics are concerning and that their instructional email told contractors to be as honest and clear as possible to volunteers. What do you think about Google’s approach to its facial recognition software? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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