Inside Reading Level 2

Unit 3

Face Recognition Technology at the Superbowl transcript

Broadcaster/Speaker 1: [background noise] The name of the game at this year's Super Bowl
was suspicion. Every fan at every entrance a potential risk, and it turns out, unwitting1 guinea
pigs2 in testing a new kind of cyber security. [beeping] It's called face recognition technology.
Tens of thousands of frozen images were taken from police surveillance3 cameras. Each picture
was then fed into a computer like this one, which could instantly compare the image of the
unsuspecting fan with mugshots4 of known criminals. [siren]

Speaker 2: This is a powerful technology that has positive benefits, and by using it responsibly,
we can deliver those positive benefits.

Broadcaster: Although there were no arrests, nearly two dozen matches were made during
Super Bowl week. Some fans not only accepted the new technology but welcomed it.

Speaker 3: I think it's a good idea. They can catch a guy that's out hurting people or stealing
things or whatever. More power to them.

Broadcaster: But while police call it invaluable, civil libertarians5 call it inexcusable, turning the
Super Bowl, they charge, into the Snooper6 Bowl.

Speaker 4: Here, everybody was under suspicion. Everyone not only had their image captured,
but everybody had their identity checked.

>>: If you're not a criminal, you have nothing to worry about.

Broadcaster: Many casinos already use face recognition technology to identify would-be card
counters7. [beeping] And some ATMs have installed the software to verify the identity of the
user. It's even spread now overseas. After this East London town installed some 300 cameras,
the crime rate plummeted8. Unlike other video surveillance systems, unless there's a match,
these images are erased as fast as they're made. But the uneasy feeling that minding your own
business is now everybody's business has some wondering just what comes next.

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unwitting: not aware of what you or doing or the situation you are involved in
22
guinea pigs: a person used in medical or other experiments
33
surveillance: the act of carefully watching a person suspected of a crime or a place where a crime may be
committed
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mugshot: a photograph of someone's face kept by the police in their records to identify criminals
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libertarian: a person who strongly believes that people should have the freedom to do and think as they like
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snooper: a person who looks around a place secretly to find out private things about someone
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card counter: a strategy used to win at a card game
88
plummeted: to fall suddenly and quickly from a high level or position