Mall of America® enhances security with state-of-the-art facial recognition technology
BLOOMINGTON, MN — June 26, 2024
Mall of America® is proud to announce the integration of advanced facial recognition technology into its security system. The Mall takes an industry-leading, multi-layered approach to security. This innovative technology will provide another layer of security and demonstrates the Mall’s commitment to safety.
Facial recognition is being used at the Mall for the sole purpose of detecting the presence of a person of interest (POI). POIs are individuals who are currently on a trespass at Mall of America, those who may be a threat to our environment, persons identified to us by law enforcement, or individuals who are missing or may be in danger.
Photos of POIs are uploaded into the facial recognition system. The technology is only looking for matches to the POI photos. If an individual is not a match, no data is stored. This technology does not track or keep any information on non-POIs. If there is a match to a POI photo, the software system issues an alert, which triggers further investigation by the security team.
Our team does not act on alerts alone. When the system alerts to a potential POI match, our security team conducts a thorough investigation including a “traditional” facial recognition check, with up to three layers of human visual review comparing the photo of the POI to the individual identified as a potential POI. The Mall of America security team has undergone extensive training by an internationally recognized program in “traditional” facial recognition, to learn facial morphological features from experts and how to successfully compare faces and determine whether the system alert is an accurate match. A Mall of America officer will approach a potential POI and follow our standard security procedure only after human review determines with sufficient confidence that the alert is accurate.
“Our security team prides itself on keeping everyone who walks through our doors safe so we can provide the best possible guest experience,” said Will Bernhjelm, Vice President of Security at Mall of America. “At 5.6 million square feet, our officers cannot be everywhere at once. Utilizing this cutting-edge technology will allow us to more quickly do what we are already doing: identifying individuals of interest and keeping Mall of America and its guests safe. We take safety very seriously and we are continually evolving our strategies to enhance our security efforts.”
The facial recognition company Mall of America selected is Corsight, a leading security provider renowned for its innovative facial intelligence technology. This software was designed to strengthen safety and security while preserving the privacy of others. It provides accurate and consistent results. The technology is powered by an algorithm that has undergone rigorous independent testing by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and it is by all accounts, best in class. In the DHS testing, the algorithm correctly identified individuals 99.3% of the time.
For more information about facial recognition at Mall of America, visit: www.mallofamerica.com/frt
For more information on Mall of America security, visit: https://www.mallofamerica.com/security
ABOUT MALL OF AMERICA
At 5.6 million square feet, Mall of America is the largest shopping and entertainment complex in North America with up to 520 world-class retail stores and restaurants; Nickelodeon Universe, a 7-acre indoor theme park; SEA LIFE Minnesota Aquarium; FlyOver America; Crayola Experience; and more. The Mall opened in 1992 and is located in Bloomington, Minn., minutes from downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul and adjacent to MSP International Airport. Follow Mall of America on Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok. Listen to So Much More – a Mall of America podcast, on all major platforms or watch on YouTube. Download the Mall of America app from the App Store for iOS or Google Play for Android.
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