Institutional Trustworthiness and Facial Recognition Technology in Policing

• In Event: New Challenges in Technology Governance

Abstract

Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) has been widely deployed among U.S. police. This intrusive technology could promote policing effectiveness and accountabilities while creating various risks for individuals. However, research to date has focused less on the relationship between the public perceived trustworthiness to their acceptability for intrusive technology / FRT employed by public organizations. Applying the lens of institutional trustworthiness that claims the trust relationship constitutes the willingness to take risks, this study explores how public perceived trustworthiness affects their acceptability of FRT. This study empirically tests this relationship in FRT adoption in U.S. policing by drawing data from the 2021 American Trends Panel (ATP) survey and other sources.
Results indicate that Americans perceiving a higher level of integrity are more likely to support FRT in policing in five investigated scenarios. While a higher level of ability leads to public acceptance of FRT in policing, their effects on FRT acceptability vary across the scenarios. However, only a moderate level of benevolence contributes to FRT acceptance in the public protest scenario among the other four examined scenarios. Also, increasing magnitudes of integrity are revealed from public protests to large events and open streets, implying that escalating privacy intrusion resulting from FRT deployment requires more integrity assurance.
The current study confirms that the public's perceived institutional trustworthiness shapes the individual acceptability of FRT in policing. This research contributes to the emerging literature on FRT management in the public sector by linking institutional trustworthiness components with the public's perceived acceptability of technology adoption by public organizations and demonstrating its application. Practically, this study highlights that for citizens to accept FRT in policing, police departments must operate FRT tools and devices that demonstrate fairness and competence. It also challenges the assumption of trading privacy for security alleged by security sections of governments. In an era in which police use of various sorts of FRT is only likely to increase, these findings shed light on how public opinion feeds into the debates of police–public relations and the importance of facilitating the democratic process by governments.

Author

• Robin Guohuibin Li, Arizona State University