Extract
[...] The question could be: what are the potential dangers of technological advances such as facial recognition? Chappatte deals with a topical issue that is giving rise to much debate about the balance between security and privacy. It's a subject that concerns moral and political ethics, law and philosophy. Dealing with the subject in a humorous and graphic way helps to defuse tensions. Figurative discourse is often used in art. In this drawing, Chappatte makes extensive use of humour, irony, symbols and contrasts to express a message to the public. [...]
[...] Facial recognition eliminates anonymity The camera is installed in an ordinary place where there is no reason to place a camera. We are probably in the centre of town, and there is no building to monitor such as a bank, prison or institute. On the contrary, we are in a rather friendly part of the city, with a café in the background. The woman sitting in the café seems to be in another hermetically sealed world. It's as if she's either unaware of what's going on outside the café or indifferent. [...]
[...] But, unlike other biometric techniques such as fingerprints, facial photographs can be taken without the knowledge or consent of the individual, and from a distance. There is also a risk of data leakage when these images are stored in databases. The legal framework must therefore be rigorous. Facial recognition can be used to identify, trace and authenticate people. Debates are taking place about the use of this technology in public spaces. Some authorities, such as the New York Police Department, defend the use of facial recognition to prevent, deter crime and protect the public. [...]
[...] Chappatte's drawing serves to show that we have entered the era of excessive surveillance with facial recognition. To do this, he uses contrasting colours: the pedestrian crossing in yellow on the right of the drawing allows the pedestrian (the man with the briefcase) to cross and enter the world of facial recognition represented in black and white. Black symbolises the dark side of technology. The pedestrian crossing acts as a bridge, a transition from the world before to the world after. [...]
[...] There is currently no consensus on the use of this technology, which can have a major impact on society. Public organisations (CNIL, AINow, etc.), private organisations (Google, Microsoft, etc.) and associations (ACLU, EFF, etc.) often alert public opinion to this issue. Apart from the public camera, however, the drawing does not mention other technological devices that also have facial recognition software, such as mobile phones, computers, applications like Google photos, and so on. Finally, the world is already being watched, even in the domestic and private sphere. [...]
