Facial recognition not part of Windsor's plan for surveillance cameras yet

Detroit police and the Detroit airport have started using facial recognition through their surveillance cameras something critics have said amounts to mass profiling and an invasion of privacy.

In Windsor, with 20 new cameras being installed downtown, Windsor mayor Drew Dilkens said facial recognition isn't on his radar right now.

"In the future, could it be added ... maybe," said Dilkens. "We're not looking to do that. It's not part of our contemplation."

Dilkens said there won't be anyone sitting in a monitoring centre watching video feeds all the time, but Windsor police will have access to the cameras if needed. Dilkens also said he had no concerns about privacy.

Detroit police, U.S. customs using facial recognition

U.S. Customs and Border Protection launched 'simplified arrival' Wednesday at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. The program automates security processes by matching travelers and crew to their documents using facial recognition.

"Facial comparison technology is used because it seamlessly integrates into the airport environment and is easy to use for travelers and facilitates the flow of legitimate travel," said CBP in a release.

"Face comparison technology also strengthens National Security by reducing the risk that an imposter uses a lost or stolen travel document to enter or exit the United States."

According to CBP, all photos of U.S. citizens collected during the process will be deleted within 24 hours. Data collected by Windsor cameras will be deleted in about a month's time.

University of Windsor law professor Kristen Thomasen said facial recognition could have "terrifying" impacts.

"You can't change your face ... so the fact that your face can be used to monitor and trace back your activities, the potential to map out a person's entire life is quite real," said Thomasen.

Thomasen said even if you haven't done anything wrong, the "chilling impact" of having your life monitored could have a substantial impact on how we enjoy ourselves.

The constitutional protection for Canadians across the border is "unclear" said Thomasen.

"There are a lot of people calling for a full-on ban," said Thomasen. "I know Detroit has some restrictions, like it wouldn't be used for immigration purposes ... but how long can individuals trust that will be followed?"

Neighbourhood watch through doorbell cameras

Ring, a doorbell camera maintained by Amazon, on a neighbourhood watch-stylenetwork is something that Dilkens has looked at bringing to the city.

"I looked into Ring before the last election, because I came aware of the 'Neighbours' app," said Dilkens. The Neighbours app connects Ring doorbell cameras or any other IP cameras in your home to a network.

If Windsor police are investigating a crime, they could push a request to people using the app asking for access to your footage.

"As the owner of the data, you'd get a pop up saying Windsor police are requesting this data," said Dilkens. Users can then say yes or no to permit access.

Dilkens called it a "very effective, very smart tool," and said Windsor would be the first Canadian city if the app came across the border.

The Neighbours app launched in May 2018 in the U.S.