Facial Recognition Led to Faulty Arrest of Black Man, ACLU Says

Detroit police should stop using facial recognition for investigations after the technology led to the improper arrest of a Black man, the American Civil Liberties Union said in a complaint to the city.

Detroit police last year ran a surveillance camera image of an alleged watch shoplifter through a database of driver’s license photos and used facial recognition software to misidentify Robert Williams as the suspect, the ACLU claims. A shop security guard later picked Williams’ license in a photo lineup, leading to his arrest this year, the complaint said.

The improper arrest marks the first known instance of facial ...