About this event
Artificial Intelligence, Facial Recognition Technology and Law Enforcement: In Search of a Good Governance Framework
The use of Artificial Intelligence and Facial Recognition Technologies in law enforcement has the potential to improve organisational efficiency and increase public safety and security. At the same time, if employed without sufficient safeguards and adequate governance frameworks, this technology may lead to unjustified interference with individual privacy, exacerbation of existing biases, and could eventually undermine public trust in police work.
This event brings together relevant stakeholders to explore the potential benefits and risks of utilising AI and Facial Recognition Technologies for law enforcement applications. We will consider organisational experiences, international best practice and a range of governance approaches that can assist with risk mitigation, to ensure positive and legally compliant adoption of these technologies to advance organisational practices.
Format: Hybrid in-person and online participation with keynote presentations followed by a panel discussion.
Hosts
Macquarie Law School, Bird&Bird and AUSCL (Australasian Society for Computers & Law)
Speakers
- Elizabeth Tydd – NSW Information Commissioner
- Dr Rita Matulionyte & Dr Hannah Harris – Macquarie Law School, Sydney
- Dr Nick Evans – Australia and New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency (ANZPAA)
- Associate Professor Nessa Lynch – Faculty of Law, Te Herenga Waka -Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
- Inspector Carla Gilmore – Manager: Emergent Technologies, New Zealand Police
- Angus Murray – Queensland Council for Civil Liberties
Venue: Bird&Bird Sydney Office, Level 22/25 Martin Pl, Sydney (for those attending in person)
Enquiries: Dr Matulionyte rita.matulionyte@mq.edu.au or Dr Harris hannah.harris@mq.edu.au
Speaker bios (Alphabetical order)
Dr Nick EVANS is a senior Research and Innovation Associate at the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency (ANZPAA), and a lecturer in Policing and Emergency Management at the University of Tasmania. He is also a Researcher with the Tasmanian Institute of Law Enforcement Studies (TILES). Nick’s research interests are multidisciplinary, focusing broadly on policing ethics, the ethics of armed force, institutional trust and legitimacy, and policing methodologies. Nick’s research goals are to harmonise academic work and strategic priorities in policing which he pursues through strong ties with Australasian police jurisdictions and policing-adjacent organisations. Prior to joining the University of Tasmania, and ANZPAA Nick worked in various research roles at the University of Melbourne, and the University of Canterbury.
Inspector Carla GILMORE – Manager: Emergent Technologies, New Zealand Police is currently leading New Zealand Police commitment to their use of new technology capabilities safely and responsibly with a particular focus on security, privacy, legal and ethical implications. Serving Police for 29 years, Carla has worked in a variety of roles including rural and urban policing, criminal investigations, intelligence, and a deployment to Bougainville to design and implement the Bougainville Police Service Intelligence System. Until Covid-19 had its impact on major events, Carla was the APEC21 Security Project People Lead. She built a new model to grow the capacity and capability of a multiagency workforce of 5000. The scale and complexity was unique due to being the largest event for NZ to ever host. Carla has achieved the AIPM Graduate Certificate in Applied Management, Organisational Leadership; and has held the position of District Lead and Chairperson of the Women’s Advisory Network where she continues to be passionate in supporting women in policing.
Dr Hannah HARRIS is a legal scholar at Macquarie Law School. Her research area is transnational law and corporate regulation. Her current work analyses legal responses to transnational challenges, including illegal logging and forest degradation, modern slavery, foreign bribery and financial crime. She is also engaged in research that seeks to understand the interaction between law and technology, focusing on the challenges and opportunities presented by Artificial Intelligence for policing, law enforcement, and regulatory compliance. Dr Harris’ research is concerned with development of optimal regulatory incentives and sanctions, as well as optimal internal governance practices within key organisations and institutions that shape the way the law is practiced and experienced by stakeholders and regulatory targets.
Dr Nessa LYNCH currently divides her time between Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, and Academic Director of the Royal NZ Police College. Dr Lynch’s primary research interest is the criminal law and the criminal justice system as it applies to children and young persons. She has published books, chapters and journal articles on issues in youth justice; particularly around principled approaches to children and youth who commit very serious offences such as murder. Her secondary research area is in biometrics and state surveillance, particularly DNA and facial recognition technology. Dr Lynch’s scholarly work is high impact globally and locally, and her expertise is sought after in the government, judicial and non-governmental fields. She has spent time on secondment at the New Zealand Ministry of Justice and was a member of the Law Commission’s Expert Advisory Group on the review of the DNA legislation which reported in December 2020. She was a special advisor to New Zealand Police on facial recognition technology and a Member and then Interim Chair of the Data Ethics Advisory Group which provides advice on ethical use of data in the public sector.
Dr Rita MATULIONYTE is a senior lecturer and researcher in law at Macquarie Law School, Macquarie University. She is an international expert in intellectual property and technology law, with her most recent research focusing on legal and governance issues surrounding Artificial Intelligence technologies. She currently leads projects on Government use of face recognition technologies: legal challenges and possible solutions and Towards More Transparent and Explainable Artificial Intelligence Technologies in Healthcare. Rita has over 40 research papers published by leading international publishers and was invited to present her research in conferences in Europe, US, Japan, Hong Kong and Australia. She has prepared expert reports for the European Commission, the European Patent Office, and for the governments of South Korea and Lithuania. She is a member of the management committee of the Australasian Society for Computers and Law (AUSCL).
Angus MURRAY is a Partner and Trade Marks Attorney at Irish Bentley Lawyers. He holds a published Master of Laws from Stockholm University and is an adjunct lecturer at the University of Southern Queensland. He is also a co-founder and director of the Legal Forecast, a member of the QLS Innovation Committee and IP & Technology Committee, a Vice President of the Queensland Council for Civil Liberties, a director of the Australasian Cyber Law Institute and the (fmr) Chair of Electronic Frontiers Australia’s Policy Committee.
Ms Elizabeth TYDD is the NSW Information Commissioner, CEO of the Information and Privacy Commission and Open Data Advocate. She has extensive regulatory and governance experience at an executive and Board level, in a range of jurisdictions and industries including commercial, not for profit and public sector oversight. Ms Tydd holds a Bachelor of Laws and Master of Laws from the University of Technology Sydney, as well as post graduate certificates in executive management and governance. She has occupied a number of significant statutory roles, including Deputy President of the NSW Workers Compensation Commission and Deputy Chairperson of the former Consumer Trader and Tenancy Tribunal.