Halo Summary
A new report found that New Orleans police accessed facial recognition results between 2018 and 2020—despite a citywide ban on the tech that remained in place until 2022. Instead of running the software themselves, officers submitted footage requests to Project NOLA, a nonprofit that manages a vast network of privately owned security cameras across the city. Project NOLA would run facial recognition searches on their end and return matches to police, creating a workaround that technically avoided direct use—but still influenced investigations. The case highlights how external partnerships can blur lines around policy compliance and oversight.
The technology is helping solve real cases…it’s not zooming in on people double parking