Autonomy, Liberty and Privacy

Abstract

General ignorance of the range and kinds and implications of the use of FRT raises ethical and legal questions. Some general points may be widely known. For instance, how FRT is used to identify individuals by converting their facial features into digital data and comparing that real-time or recorded data with images stored in databases. The stored images have usually been harvested from individuals who supplied an identity photograph, such as for a passport, driving licence or travel pass. So far, so good. But how far does the average citizen understand that whilst this use of images in identity photographs can also facilitate the application process, it is also an integral part of the document containing other information, and the database that is created may be ethically problematic. This is especially true when used or accessed covertly by agencies without explicit consent and not directly associated with the primary purpose of the photograph. Therefore, this chapter examines how autonomy, liberty and privacy are affected by FRT and presents some elements of an ethical framework, from which FRT’s impact on autonomy, liberty and privacy can be assessed.