Face off A temporary ban on facial recognition surveillance software took a step toward passage recently, as the Baltimore City Council Public Safety Committee unanimously voted to advance it. Proponents see the tech as useful in police investigation, while detractors bring up privacy concerns. There are also issues with accuracy: It has been documented that this type of technology has issues distinguishing Black and brown faces. As technology advances and there’s solutions that a given technology can offer, there must also be consideations how it will affect people. In this case, officials are weighing safety vs. privacy. How do you do the mental calculus to implement a new technology on a city scale or not? As a technologist, how do you determine whether the juice is worth the squeeze? Email us at baltimore@technical.ly or reply here with your thoughts. — Donte Kirby, Technical.ly reporter, Baltimore (donte@technical.ly) | 