The Stanley Cup Riots – do you recognize the face?

Within a few days of the June 15^th Stanley Cup riot on the streets of Vancouver, the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) made a simple offer to police.

In that province – where vehicles are insured through the single government owned and operated monopoly – every driver is identified by their most identifiable feature: their face.  These photos are retained to help combat fraud and identity theft.

Software applications allow faces to be identified using specific features and precise measuring algorithms, comparing a photo in ICBC’s photo databank with a digital image or even video frame.

ICBC offered its facial recognition technology and database to police to assist in apprehending those photographed (in broad daylight) who were clearly engaged in vandalism and looting.

It sounded like a perfect application of 21^st century technology to a problem of Neanderthal behaviour.

Almost.

B.C.’s Information and Privacy Commissioner has thrown the “fine balance to be struck in weighing a citizen’s privacy interests and the use of personal information for law enforcement” wet blanket over the idea.  ICBC is now being investigated for its willingness to simply help identify those who intentionally caused damage and injured others.

As a result, the Vancouver Police Department has been slow to take ICBC up on its offer, and many of the thugs remain unidentified.

One has to wonder: if the purpose in the province acquiring and using the technology is to fight crime, this would seem to be the perfect application.

Do you think this should be an issue of privacy? Why or why not? Leave your comments below.

Tags: damage, facial recognition, icbc, insurance, privacy, riot, vancouver police department