Robert Williams wrongfully arrested after Detroit Police facial recognition misidentifies him as watch thief
Summary
On January 9, 2020, Robert Williams, a 42-year-old Black man from Farmington Hills, Michigan, was arrested at his home in front of his wife and two daughters after Detroit Police used a facial recognition system to match a grainy surveillance image of a shoplifting suspect to his driver's license photo. The match was made by an algorithm and confirmed by a detective without additional verification. Williams was held in custody for 30 hours before being released without charge. Upon being shown the surveillance image at the police station, Williams held it next to his face and told the detective: 'I hope you don't think all Black men look alike.' The case — the first known wrongful arrest in the US caused by facial recognition — was later documented by the ACLU, which filed a complaint on his behalf. Detroit Police later acknowledged the error. Williams subsequently filed a lawsuit against the city.
Incident Details
Automated systems that produce discriminatory outcomes based on protected characteristics.
Differential treatment or outcomes based on protected characteristics.
Sources
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