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How has digital photography been used in surveillance and facial-recognition systems?

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Alfred Stieglitz: Child with Striped Dress (Younger Raab Child) — History of photography *Child with Striped Dress (Younger Raab Child)*, autochrome photograph by Alfred Stieglitz, 1907; in the Art Institute of Chicago.

Digital photography has become a cornerstone of modern surveillance and identification systems, enabling the rapid capture, transmission, and analysis of visual data. In the context of law enforcement, digital mug shots allow for instant global sharing, while biometric systems use digital mapping to identify individuals by their unique facial features.123

These facial-mapping systems, often integrated with public CCTV networks, are used to monitor public spaces and identify suspects in real time. However, the use of these technologies raises significant ethical concerns regarding civil liberties and human rights. Research indicates that facial-recognition software often exhibits racial bias, frequently misidentifying people of color and disproportionately targeting minority communities for surveillance. Furthermore, such tools have been utilized by governments to track specific ethnic and religious minorities, leading to international condemnation regarding human rights abuses.134

Because these systems can exacerbate systemic discrimination and infringe upon personal privacy, it is essential to uphold the ethical principle that technology must be deployed in a manner that protects human dignity and ensures equitable treatment for all individuals, rather than facilitating bias or oppression.4