VOA常速英语2019--人脸识别技术引发全球恐慌

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 Amendment¹ 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 misused² 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 dispense³ 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 shareholders⁴ 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 moratorium⁵ on the police use of facial recognition as the capacity for abuse, lack of oversight⁶ and technical and maturity⁷ 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 Credence⁸ 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。 

1 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

2 misused   

v.使用…不当( misuse的过去式和过去分词 )；把…派作不正当的用途；虐待；滥用

参考例句：

• He misused his dog shamefully. 他可耻地虐待自己的狗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had grossly misused his power. 他严重滥用职权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 dispense   

vt.分配，分发；配(药)，发(药)；实施

参考例句：

• Let us dispense the food.咱们来分发这食物。
• The charity has been given a large sum of money to dispense as it sees fit.这个慈善机构获得一大笔钱，可自行适当分配。

4 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任

5 moratorium   

n.(行动、活动的)暂停(期)，延期偿付

参考例句：

• The government has called for a moratorium on weapons testing.政府已要求暂停武器试验。
• We recommended a moratorium on two particular kinds of experiments.我们建议暂禁两种特殊的实验。

6 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

7 maturity   

n.成熟；完成；(支票、债券等)到期

参考例句：

• These plants ought to reach maturity after five years.这些植物五年后就该长成了。
• This is the period at which the body attains maturity.这是身体发育成熟的时期。

8 credence   

n.信用，祭器台，供桌，凭证

参考例句：

• Don't give credence to all the gossip you hear.不要相信你听到的闲话。
• Police attach credence to the report of an unnamed bystander.警方认为一位不知姓名的目击者的报告很有用。