2021-2022 Spiegel and Technology Book Award Winner: Madeline Owens

“Cleaning Up Garbage in Facial Recognition Technology” 

“Garbage in, garbage out” (GIGO) is a computer science phrase referring to the problem of poor-quality inputs leading to poor-quality outputs. Charles Babbage first expressed the idea behind the phrase in his autobiography about his experiences as a mathematician in Victorian England. Although not directly connected, his idea is key to understanding contemporary debates regarding facial recognition technology (FRT), including the data auditing of FRT algorithms. In this essay, Madeline Owens explores the origins of the term GIGO, considers its application to FRT, and proposes best practices to address the issue. In addition, she considers the ethical issues of privacy and surveillance in FRT databases but, ultimately, concludes that such technology is here to stay and must be managed in the best possible way. She argues for the establishment of minimum photo quality and editing standards, annual algorithmic audits, and requirements allowing governments and companies to purchase only the most sophisticated software trained on representative data.