AI Surveillance Ethics: Privacy Versus Security

If you’ve ever felt like your smart devices are “spying” on you and silently collecting your personal data to feed the almighty algorithm or control your actions, you’re not alone. Thankfully though, our smartphones and television sets aren’t nefarious spies, gathering information to use against us. Nevertheless, AI surveillance through video cameras used by governments, businesses, and law enforcement is a growing part of our reality, and raises important ethical questions: Are invisible forces watching us with AI (Artificial Intelligence)? Why? Is this an invasion of our privacy? Although AI surveillance has numerous benefits for public security, it’s vital to examine the toll it may take on our right to personal privacy. As AI technology continues its rapid advance, the ethics surrounding how we use it need to be addressed. AI surveillance is the analysis, collection, and interpretation of video footage to identify objects and patterns through the use of artificial technologies (including behavior tracking, facial recognition, and predictive analytics). Without the need for constant human input and oversight, AI surveillance tools monitor digital activity, people, and places to help companies, governments, and law enforcement agencies increase efficient security measures. These tools can analyze behavior, detect potential threats, and track individuals in real-time. Some important statistics to note about AI surveillance include: AI surveillance is already integrated into the security protocols in a vast number of industries. As AI grows more sophisticated, its use in surveillance will continue to expand. Here are some real-world examples of how AI surveillance is already used: AI surveillance offers numerous benefits for public security, including: While AI surveillance can boost security and efficiency, it also raises serious concerns about consent, potential misuse, and privacy. Think of cameras that not only record you but analyze who you are, where you go, and even predict what you might do next like in the dystopian film, Minority Report . As this tech becomes more powerful, the line between protection and intrusion gets increasingly blurry. Some of the most concerning ethical and privacy concerns of AI surveillance include: Algorithm bias has been problematic in many recent AI tools. Researchers from the USC (University of Southern California) Information Sciences Institute found that at least 38.6% of AI “facts” contain inherent bias. Similarly, AI facial recognition systems often exhibit racial bias against minorities and gender bias against women, and have high risks of potential misidentification. Ethically, this becomes concerning as false arrests, unjust harassment, and racial profiling can result. AI surveillance tools can analyze historical crime data patterns to predict future crime hotspots. However, this predictive policing tool isn’t error-free and can perpetuate existing biases and overpolicing in minority communities. Law enforcement AI surveillance provider Clearview AI got into legal hot water for scraping billions of facial images found online without consent, and the company’s practices raised serious ethical questions and privacy issues. Where does personal privacy supersede the need for greater public security measures? Many countries and over a dozen U.S. states have variations of digital privacy laws in place to protect consumer privacy rights. There are serious questions about whether or not AI surveillance violates privacy rights by surveilling without consent and potentially misusing personal data. Robust regulations and ethical guidelines on the use of AI surveillance can keep employee oversight and government monitoring in check. However, without any regulations, surveillance would run rampant — our smart devices and AI tools could be used to monitor our behavior. A balance between privacy and security is vital in the future use of AI surveillance. AI surveillance has many benefits, can increase law enforcement efficiency, and can optimize public safety. Nevertheless, its ethical implications must be addressed. Federal and state online privacy laws can curb its oversight and allow us to maintain our individual privacy. Similarly, transparency in the use of AI surveillance can help consumers to exert some control over when they are being monitored. There are several existing laws that keep AI surveillance overreach at bay, and protect data and privacy , including the following: It seeks to mandate companies to assess the adverse impact of any automated decision-making processes they use, and identify and mitigate potential AI biases. Federally, the government is still determining what regulatory measures are needed for AI surveillance and other AI tools. President Biden signed an Executive Order for the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of AI. However, President Trump has taken a more permissive approach to AI’s use and in his first days in office, signed an Executive Order for Removing Barriers to American Leadership in AI. Clear privacy notices that inform consumers about how and why their data is being collected and when it may be used to inform AI surveillance systems can help curb unethical practices. AI systems should also transparently communicate to users how input may be used for training purposes and other uses that may impact individual privacy. It’s important to understand your digital privacy rights and remain informed on how your data may be used for AI surveillance and other purposes. Here are some other proactive ways that you can protect your personal privacy: Regulated AI surveillance can offer many security benefits. However, ethically, our collective and individual privacies need to factor into how, when, and why it’s used. Visit What Is My IP Address to learn more about digital privacy rights and be sure to check out our Easy Prey podcast and our blog to discover AI and cybersecurity tips.