Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36751120›Full record

ArticleAmerican journal of medical genetics. Part C, Seminars in medical genetics2023

Privacy, bias and the clinical use of facial recognition technology: A survey of genetics professionals.

Elias Aboujaoude, Janice Light, Julia E H Brown, W John Boscardin, Benedikt Hallgrímsson, Ophir D Klein

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in American journal of medical genetics. Part C, Seminars in medical genetics, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 33% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Telerehabilitation for peripheral facial palsy: A scoping review.Journal of telemedicine and telecare · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

Elias AboujaoudeDepartment of Psychiatry, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.
Janice LightDepartment of Orofacial Sciences and Program in Craniofacial Biology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Julia E H BrownInstitute for Health & Aging, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
W John BoscardinDepartments of Medicine and Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Benedikt HallgrímssonDepartments of Cell Biology & Anatomy, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Ophir D KleinDepartment of Orofacial Sciences and Program in Craniofacial Biology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
University of California, San Francisco · USCedars-Sinai Medical Center · USInstitute on Aging · USStanford University · USUniversity of Calgary · CA

Funding

Clinical and Translational Science InstituteUL1TR001872 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI COLLARD, HAROLD R, JACOBY, VANESSA · 2016 to 2025
$112.1M
VARC CoreP30AG044281 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI Alexander Keliimoeanu Smith · 2013 to 2026
$19.9M
Developing 3D Craniofacial Morphometry Data and Tools to Transform DysmorphologyU01DE024440 · NIDCR · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · PI HALLGRIMSSON, BENEDIKT, KLEIN, OPHIR D · 2014 to 2018
$3.3M
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR001872NIA NIH HHS P30 AG044281NIDCR NIH HHS U01 DE024440
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Facial recognition technology (FRT) has been adopted as a precision medicine tool. The medical genetics field highlights both the clinical potential and privacy risks of this technology, putting the discipline at the forefront of a new digital privacy debate. Investigating how geneticists perceive the privacy concerns surrounding FRT can help shape the evolution and regulation of the field, and provide lessons for medicine and research more broadly. Five hundred and sixty-two genetics clinicians and researchers were approached to fill out a survey, 105 responded, and 80% of these completed. The survey consisted of 48 questions covering demographics, relationship to new technologies, views on privacy, views on FRT, and views on regulation. Genetics professionals generally placed a high value on privacy, although specific views differed, were context-specific, and covaried with demographic factors. Most respondents (88%) agreed that privacy is a basic human right, but only 37% placed greater weight on it than other values such as freedom of speech. Most respondents (80%) supported FRT use in genetics, but not necessarily for broader clinical use. A sizeable percentage (39%) were unaware of FRT's lower accuracy rates in marginalized communities and of the mental health effects of privacy violations (62%), but most (76% and 75%, respectively) expressed concern when informed. Overall, women and those who self-identified as politically progressive were more concerned about the lower accuracy rates in marginalized groups (88% vs. 64% and 83% vs. 63%, respectively). Younger geneticists were more wary than older geneticists about using FRT in genetics (28% compared to 56% "strongly" supported such use). There was an overall preference for more regulation, but respondents had low confidence in governments' or technology companies' ability to accomplish this. Privacy views are nuanced and context-dependent. Support for privacy was high but not absolute, and clear deficits existed in awareness of crucial FRT-related discrimination potential and mental health impacts. Education and professional guidelines may help to evolve views and practices within the field.

Indexed as

Facial RecognitionPrivacyFemaleHumansMental HealthPrecision MedicineSurveys and Questionnairesfacial recognitionprivacysyndrome

Identifiers

PMID36751120
PMCPMC10578447
OpenAlexW4319461898

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.