It isn’t the first time bystander videos have galvanized a movement. But this time they can be used to change policing for good.
Technology, police brutality, and protests
Technology has helped perpetuate racism and the racial profiling of Black Americans. It can also be a catalyst for change. This collection of articles looks at the role police body cams, cellphone video, social media, face recognition, algorithmic policing, and online culture have played in the recent protests and the conditions that led to them.

Photo: wp.technologyreview.com
Protests and change
Facebook and Twitter might have the bells and whistles, but the word processing software's simplicity and accessibility have made it a winning tool.
After years of police body cams and bystander cellphone video, it’s clear that evidentiary images on their own don’t bring about change. What’s missing is power.
Korean music’s vast army of online fans have been celebrated for activism during police brutality protests. But the applause has papered over a more nuanced reality.
Face Recognition Technology
This week’s moves from Amazon, Microsoft, and IBM mark a major milestone for researchers and civil rights advocates in a long and ongoing fight over face recognition in law enforcement.
IBM’s CEO said the tech giant opposes any technology used “for mass surveillance, racial profiling, violations of basic human rights and freedoms.”
Racism and racial profiling
Black Americans have seen technology used to target them again and again. Stopping it means looking at the problem differently.
A 2019 report shows how supposedly objective systems can perpetuate corrupt policing practices.
Using historical data to train risk assessment tools could mean that machines are copying the mistakes of the past.
Disinformation
Misinformation about police brutality protests is being spread by the same sources as covid-19 denial. The troubling results suggest what might come next.
Email Newsletter
Five mornings a week, we round up the most important stories in emerging technology.