Crime and technology: phone-stealing gangs, police drones, and facial recognition

According to a gang leader, thieves can steal up to 20 phones per day by watching users enter their device’s PIN, and can make up to £50,000 in just 30 minutes. After stealing a phone, the thieves use the owner’s banking app to take over the victim’s bank account. Mobile banking fraud in the U.K. has increased by 62% in the past year, reaching its highest level on record, according to U.K. Finance.

U.S. police in the District of Columbia are planning to use drones for various tasks. These tasks include searching for missing persons, monitoring crowds at large public events, serving high-risk arrest warrants, investigating road accidents, and locating armed suspects. The Parrot Anafi drones will be operated within the line of sight of a police officer and will not use artificial intelligence or facial recognition technology.

In the U.S., law enforcement agencies use facial recognition technology to identify criminals captured on camera. For example, in Michigan, the software compares a criminal’s face with police databases or driver’s licence photos. However, some cities and states, including San Francisco, Austin, Texas, and Portland, Oregon, have temporarily banned the technology due to concerns about privacy and racial bias. In Detroit, Michigan, police arrested three people based on incorrect facial-recognition matches, setting a national record.