VOA常速英语2019--人脸识别技术引发全球恐慌（在线收听）

Facial Recognition Technology Raising Alarms Around the World

San Francisco, the unofficial tech capital of the world, recently became the first US city to ban facial recognition technology used by police and other officials.

旧金山，世界非官方科技之都，最近成为美国第一个禁止警察和其他官员使用面部识别技术的城市。

Those who support the ban say this type of tech is a threat to civil liberties.

那些支持该禁令的人说，这种技术对公民自由构成了威胁。 

The fact that law enforcement and other government agencies would be able to track every single resident as they move throughout the city.

事实上，执法部门和其他政府机构能够追踪每个居民在整个城市中的走动情况。 

And the potential effect of chilling people’s ability to engage in First Amendment protected activity is quite concerning.

降低人们参与第一修正案保护活动能力的潜在影响非常令人担忧。 

There’s a technology that misidentified 28 members of the United States Congress but really can be terribly misused by governments.

有一种技术错误识别了美国国会的28名成员，但又被政府严重滥用。 

China has embraced the facial recognition technology as part of its massive domestic security operation.

中国已将面部识别技术作为其国内大规模安全运营的一部分。 

It even uses it in some public restrooms to dispense toilet paper.

甚至在一些公共卫生间使用该技术来分发卫生纸。 

Facial recognition software is not new but it has become much more sophisticated in recent years.

面部识别软件并不新鲜，但近年来变得更加复杂。 

Apple uses facial recognition as a feature to unlock the latest iPhones.

苹果公司使用面部识别作为最新款iPhone的解锁功能。 

Amazon shareholders voted on two measures to limit Amazon’s use of its own facial recognition technology.

亚马逊的股东投票通过两项措施来限制亚马逊使用他们自己的面部识别技术。 

Both failed.

但是两项措施都失败。 

Lawmakers in Washington are still assessing the technology’s impact on civil rights.

华盛顿的立法者仍在评估该技术对公民权利的影响。 

We’ve never seen anything like this technology before.

我们以前从未见过这种技术。 

Critics argue that facial recognition technology is sometimes flawed and fails more often when identifying women in people of color.

批评者认为面部识别技术有时是有缺陷的，经常无法识别女性有色人种。.  

At a minimum, Congress should pass a moratorium on the police use of facial recognition as the capacity for abuse, lack of oversight and technical and maturity poses too great a risk especially for marginalized communities.

至少，国会应暂停警方使用面部识别技术，因为滥用、缺乏监督以及技术的成熟性构成了极大的风险，特别是对于边缘化社区而言。

But some on the cutting edge of bio-metrics say that the technology has uses the benefit humanity.

但是，一些生物特征识别前沿领域的人士表示，该技术已经利用了人类的利益。 

I think it’s an interesting and exciting time for bio-metrics.

我认为，对于生物特征识别来说，这是一个有趣且激动人心的时刻。 

I think this idea that it’s the bad guy, you know, there’s lots of dystopian images of how bio-metrics could become, this horrible thing and I think that’s really misplaced.

我认为，这个想法很不好，你知道吗，有很多关于生物特征发展的反乌托邦形象。我认为这个可怕的观点真的有误。

Hanson’s company Credence ID uses facial recognition technology and other bio-metrics like thumb prints to help identify people in the developing world need things like food, medical supplies or infant formula.

汉森的公司 credence ID使用面部识别技术和其他生物特征（如拇指印）来帮助识别那些发展中国家的人们，他们需要食物，医疗用品或婴儿配方奶粉等物品。

He thinks San Francisco’s ban is too severe.

他认为旧金山的禁令太苛刻了。 

A ban seems to be the wrong move to me certainly, there needs to be reviews of how the practices are used.

当然，禁令对我来说似乎是一个错误的举动，我们需要回顾这一技术是如何使用的。 

We can debate about where it belongs in our society and how much of a untrusting society we want to have.

我们可以讨论它在我们社会中的地位，以及我们有多想拥有一个不信任的社会。 

But getting rid of bio-metrics it’s kind of like getting rid of the internet because it can be used for a bad.

但摆脱生物特征识别有点像摆脱互联网，因为它可以用来做坏事。 

Other studies in the US are considering a similar ban to San Francisco’s while companies , governments and organizations find new uses for it.

美国的其他研究正在考虑类似与旧金山的禁令，而公司、政府和其他组织则发现它的新用途。 

What’s unclear is whether any regulation on the technology can keep up as its growth explodes.

目前尚不清楚的是，随着该技术的迅速发展，对该技术的各项监管是否能够紧随其后。