Session
Organizer 1: Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Organizer 2: Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 1: Olga Cronin, Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 2: Manuel Tufro, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 3: Kirill Koroteev, Civil Society, Eastern European Group
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 60
Format description: Regarding the format, we want the main part of the event to focus on discussing the methodology, opportunities for improvement, and possibilities of using it in cases other than those presented by the speakers. Therefore, the roundtable is the best option as it allows for the greatest equality among participants.
In terms of duration, we envision the event in three main parts: the presentation of the methodology and its structure, the presentation of cases as examples of usage, and the opening of the discussion. Therefore, 60 minutes seem reasonable for achieving it.
1.- What are the impacts of FRT deployments on international human rights law?
2.- Are the digitalization of public spaces initiatives being inclusive and non-discriminatory?
3.- How can digital technologies deployments be more transparent and participative?
What will participants gain from attending this session? The workshop aims to move from describing the harms of facial recognition systems to a more profound and structured analysis of potential transgressions of international human rights law. In that sense, we hope that this session will allow all participants to approach methodologies that seek a more detailed understanding of these systems and their impacts on human rights in the language of international law. Additionally, we aim for the session to bring a case study of such methodologies through the specific case of facial recognition systems. Finally, recognizing that opposition to these systems is common in different countries around the world, we hope that this will initiate connections that enable joint action, ideally through the use of these methodologies.
Description:
The deployments of facial recognition systems have increased uncontrollably under the pretext of enhancing security, blurring the line between physical and digital spaces. There is little clarity about their positive impact on security, while many sources point to the fallibility of these systems, leading to numerous cases of illegal detentions. Despite this, opposition to these deployments is not yielding desired results. Therefore, at the International Network of Civil Liberties Organizations, we are seeking to develop and promote tools that enable the detailed evaluation of particular deployments from the perspective of international human rights law to strengthen opposition capabilities against these systems.
In this workshop, we propose to present some specific cases of facial recognition systems in our jurisdictions (which includes Russian, Argentina, the United Kingdom, among others) and analyze them in detail using these tools, as an example to spark a debate on this approach with attendees and tease out its possible utility in other contexts.
The goal of the workshop is twofold: on one hand, to present the methodology for evaluating deployments of facial recognition systems to enhance opposition to them; on the other hand, to explore opportunities for improving the proposed approach. Additionally, it is expected to contribute to establishing connections among diverse stakeholders facing the same issue in different countries and locations.
As a general outcome, we hope to contribute to understanding human rights violations caused by facial recognition systems by taking a deeper dive into these violations. However, we also anticipate the following outcomes and outputs:
- For the International Network of Civil Liberties Organizations: advancing the proposed analysis and assessment methodology.
- For civil society organizations: strengthening connections, exploring new opportunities for joint action.
- For the general public: the publication of a report on the methodology once it is completed.
Hybrid Format: Considering the objectives and format of the session, we believe that the following measures can facilitate their achievement in a hybrid scenario: 1) allow online attendees to participate either as active participants in the discussion or as listeners; the former would engage with their cameras activated to enhance their assimilation with the in-person participants (this can be done in Zoom using the streaming option for listeners and call feature for active participants); 2) the in-person moderator will have access to a device (computer or other) to monitor requests to speak from active participants; 3) efforts will be made to alternate between in-person and online participants in speaking opportunities.