Professor Allyson MacVean to address ‘Ethics and Facial Recognition Technology’ at Global MSC

Global MSC Security has announced that Professor of Policing and Criminology at Bath Spa University will present ‘Ethics and Facial Recognition Technology: A potent cocktail for success or disaster?’ at the 21^st Global MSC Security Conference and Exhibition. Professor Allyson MacVean joins a speaker programme that includes the Surveillance Camera Commissioner, Tony Porter MSyl, at the event which takes place on 12 November 2019 in Bristol.

In her presentation, Professor Allyson MacVean will consider how the potential for facial recognition technology is immense. From law enforcement to medical applications, its uses can create safer, secure environments to save lives. Yet, little has been explored in relation to the legality or ethics of such technology. The public interest in police techniques to ensure safety and security is vested in having  impartial, properly informed and fairly operated systems. However, public legitimacy for facial recognition technology is perceived to be unjustifiable on the grounds of being morally problematic.

Managing Director of Global MSC Security, Derek Maltby states: “The use of facial recognition is highly topical and polarising. In the past week, the High Court in Cardiff ruled that the use of automated facial recognition by South Wales Police was consistent with the requirements of the Human Rights Act and data protection legislation. This led the Biometrics Commissioner to call for an open public debate on the use of such technologies.” Maltby adds: “The Global MSC Security Conference and Exhibition is an important milestone in this debate, putting local government, law enforcement, policy-makers and technology vendors in one room to have an open discussion regarding how to strike the balance of what is possible and what is acceptable.”

The Global MSC Security Conference and Exhibition 2019 takes place at the Bristol Hotel in Bristol. An exhibition preview will open on the afternoon of Monday 11 November, followed by a gala charity dinner that will raise money for The Lily Foundation, as well as reveal the winner of the 2019 Gordon McLanaghan Award for Security Innovation. The conference takes place on Tuesday 12 November and is free-to-attend for delegates and end users, with members of the Security Institute able to receive double CPD points for attending.

The event is supported by Genetec as headline sponsors and they are joined by the other sponsors; Synectics, Bosch, DSSL Group, Milestone and 360 Vision Technology. For more information and to register, visit: https://www.globalmsc.net/seminars-2/