The Dallas Police Department is considering a proposal that would dramatically expand its use of AI facial recognition beyond violent crimes to routine offenses such as trespassing and package theft. Since partnering with Clearview AI in mid-2024, the department says the system has been used 156 times and contributed to 25 arrests. Officials now argue the technology is “vital” and should be available for lower-level investigations, allowing officers to search Clearview’s massive database of images scraped from public websites and social media.

Critics warn the shift represents a normalization of biometric surveillance, moving mass identification tools into everyday policing. While Dallas emphasizes layered approvals and internal safeguards, Clearview’s recent settlement of a multi-state biometric privacy lawsuit underscores unresolved concerns about consent and data harvesting. As city leaders weigh efficiency against civil liberties, the deeper issue remains whether systems built on billions of unconsented faces can coexist with true personal privacy—or if this marks another step toward a surveillance-first society that treats anonymity as a relic of the past.

SOURCE: Reclaim the Net