TOW #24 The End of Anonymity (Erik Sofge)

Facial recognition has become much more prevalent and powerful in recent years. But is it ethical?

My goals are to have a more cohesive introduction/background information and to provide specific examples from the text to show the rhetorical devices.

     We've all heard of PRISM, the NSA program that invaded the privacy of millions of people by secretly surveying emails and social media accounts. Erik Sofge, in this article for Popular Science Magazine, examines the other less-controversial surveillance method utilized by the FBI: facial recognition. The FBI has been collecting information on criminals since 1924, ranging from the first index card and ink fingerprint records to DNA tests and a database of millions of mugshots for recognition. Facial recognition is exceptionally difficult, especially with low resolution security camera footage. However, in recent years the many algorithms contracted to the FBI from worldwide proprietary software companies have greatly increased computers' ability to decipher a tilted head, expressive features, and low light. While not usable in court because of the techniques success rate (in good conditions in hovers around 80% confidence in a criminal/suspect match), facial-recognition is still widely used and, with the information stored in social media, could become the best way to generate leads in an investigation. WHile Sofge stays rather neutral in reporting, his purpose is clearly to raise awareness about this surveillance technology and bring to light some if its more controversial aspects.
     The most obvious rhetorical strategy employed by Sofge is his use of statistics. His goal is to show the effectiveness and broad scope of facial-recognition investigation. For this reason, he uses facts like a database containing 3.5 million mugshots, a program that costs $1.2 billion, and a current 1% drop in accuracy per year (so more older photos can be used with confidence). Instead of just saying that the programs are massive or effective, Sofge supplies strong supporting evidence to convince us, and possibly engender a thoughtful reaction about the size of his described programs.
     Throughout the article Sofge also calls upon reputable experts from a variety of origins. He begins with an anecdote containing detective Jim McClelland from Cheltenham, PA, who describes the ways that facial recognition advances have made his job significantly easier. Sofge also quotes a CEO of a firm that develops the software about modern advances, as well as a professor who controversially used Facebook images to make a more comprehensive database of people. Such varied opinions on all aspects of the technology inform the reader and provide perspectives that support and refute the implementation of facial recognition. These act as support and concessions and, when paired with his objective statistics, made Sofge's article effective in accomplishing its purpose.