back to article Facial recognition tech convicts man in Chicago robbery case

A Chicago man has received a 22-year prison sentence after becoming the first person to be convicted with evidence from the city's facial recognition technology. Pierre Martin was sentenced Monday for a pair of armed robberies carried out on the Chicago Transit Authority train system. The incidents occurred in January and …

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  1. AlexS

    Would never happen to me and my Yahoo webcam ;)

  2. I. Aproveofitspendingonspecificprojects

    I can smell black helicopters.

    1. David Pollard

      ... helicopters?

      They normally stay downwind of their prey, so you are probably safe for the time being.

  3. Tom 35

    One arrest a year?

    What are they really using it for?

    1. P. Lee

      Re: One arrest a year?

      Friendface tagging?

      --

      The computer says, "You're Guilty!"

      What could possibly go wrong?

  4. Charles Manning

    Bad headlines

    This bloke was not convicted on the evidence of the software. TThe software made the match and identified him.

    Regular plod-work and witnesses then put together the actual evidence used to get the conviction.

    C'mon Reg, get it right.

    1. Imsimil Berati-Lahn

      Re: Bad headlines

      You're damn right: Clickbait headline, plain wrong both in terms of information and morality, (like journos worry about either of those things eh?)

      Thankfully the article detail is a little more honest.

  5. JulianB

    "activist groups remain weary of facial recognition [...] tools"

    Possibly, though I suspect you mean "wary".

    1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge
      Coat

      Re: "activist groups remain weary of facial recognition [...] tools"

      I'm tired of people picking up on grammar errors.

  6. Havin_it

    "Zoom in just there..."

    "Now: ENHANCE."

    1. ukgnome

      Re: "Zoom in just there..."

      Can we get a clearer angle?

      Sure, we can just pull it from that reflection!

      1. VinceH

        Re: "Zoom in just there..."

        Or better still, we can hypothesis.

  7. ratfox

    22 years for armed robbery?

    Damn, that's like twice what he would get for rape or what?

    …Maybe it's one of these recidivist clauses?

    1. Scroticus Canis
      Unhappy

      Re: 22 years for armed robbery?

      Well as he was identified from his mug shot so he probably has previous form and it was two counts of armed robbery. Don't know if Illinois has a "three strikes" clause but know I would like something similar in the UK to keep the criminals where they belong. Unfortunately for us that would require a government and justice system that knew is arse from its elbow.

    2. ElectricRook
      Meh

      Re: 22 years for armed robbery?

      Thank God it only costs US$50k/yr to keep him locked up. He will be worth more than a million by the time he is sprung.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Thin end of the wedge...

    The problem is that after a few successful convictions using this tech, prosecutors will start to rely on it (much like DNA "finger prints").

    "Members of the jury, he *is* guilty, the software says it was him that done it!!"

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Paris Hilton

    Hmmm.

    I don't suppose anyone could hack the photo etc databases and get someone added to the POI list and instant Crim? Or your favourite pervy 'security' guy use it for auto-stalking?

  10. Horridbloke

    Odd match...

    Looking at those two pictures I have an uncomfortable feeling they were matched based on him leaning his head a bit to the side in each.

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