Murphy's alibi was later confirmed, and all charges against him were dropped. His lawsuit accuses Macy's and EssilorLuxottica of malicious prosecution, false imprisonment, and gross negligence. He argues that the use of error-prone facial recognition software poses a risk to everyone, as anyone could be wrongfully charged and jailed based on its results. The case has sparked discussions about the safety and reliability of facial recognition technology.
Key takeaways:
- A 61-year-old man, Harvey Eugene Murphy Jr, is suing Macy's and EssilorLuxottica, the parent company of Sunglass Hut, for $10 million after he was mistakenly identified as a robbery suspect through facial-recognition software and subsequently sexually assaulted in jail.
- The AI software analyzed camera footage from the store and wrongly matched Murphy to one of the suspects using old photos of him. His lawyers claimed the technology involved was error prone and faulty.
- Murphy was arrested when he tried to renew his driver's license and was assaulted in jail. His alibi was confirmed, all criminal charges were dropped, and he was released after a few hours behind bars.
- Caitlin Seeley George, campaigns and managing director at Fight for the Future, said that private companies that use facial recognition tech are seriously endangering customers and that there is no way to safely use facial recognition – it must be banned.