Facial Recognition System Falsely Accuses Innocent Man

A video surveillance camera made by China's Hikvision in Beijing. File photo: AP
A video surveillance camera made by China's Hikvision in Beijing. File photo: AP
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Facial Recognition System Falsely Accuses Innocent Man

A video surveillance camera made by China's Hikvision in Beijing. File photo: AP
A video surveillance camera made by China's Hikvision in Beijing. File photo: AP

In a first-of-its-kind case, a facial recognition system falsely accused a man from Michigan of theft he didn't commit.

Robert Julian-Borchak Williams was in his office at an automotive supply company when he got a call from the Detroit Police Department telling him to come to the station to be arrested. He thought at first that it was a prank, The New York Times reported.

An hour later, when he pulled into his driveway in a quiet subdivision in Farmington Hills, Michigan, a police car pulled up behind, blocking him in. Two officers got out and handcuffed Williams on his front lawn, in front of his wife and two young daughters, who were distraught.

The police wouldn't say why he was being arrested, only showing him a piece of paper with his photo and the words "felony warrant" and "larceny." His wife, Melissa, asked where he was being taken. "Google it," she recalls an officer replying.

The police drove Williams to a detention center. He had his mug shot, fingerprints and DNA taken, and was held overnight. Around noon the next day, two detectives took him to an interrogation room and placed three pieces of paper on the table, face down.

"When's the last time you went to a Shinola store?" one of the detectives asked, in Williams's recollection. Shinola is an upscale boutique that sells watches, bicycles and leather goods in the trendy Midtown neighborhood of Detroit.

Williams said he and his wife had checked it out when the store first opened in 2014. The detective showed him a still image from a surveillance video, showing a man standing in front of a watch display. Five timepieces, worth $3,800, were shoplifted.

"No, this is not me. You think all black men look alike?" Williams said. This case may be the first known account of an American being wrongfully arrested based on a flawed match from a facial recognition algorithm, according to experts on technology and the law.



Apple Leads Surge in Global Tech Shares after Trump Tariff Relief

A plaque commemorating President Donald Trump’s and Apple CEO Tim Cook's announcement an additional $100 billion Apple investment in the US in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 06 August 2025. EPA/BONNIE CASH / POOL
A plaque commemorating President Donald Trump’s and Apple CEO Tim Cook's announcement an additional $100 billion Apple investment in the US in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 06 August 2025. EPA/BONNIE CASH / POOL
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Apple Leads Surge in Global Tech Shares after Trump Tariff Relief

A plaque commemorating President Donald Trump’s and Apple CEO Tim Cook's announcement an additional $100 billion Apple investment in the US in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 06 August 2025. EPA/BONNIE CASH / POOL
A plaque commemorating President Donald Trump’s and Apple CEO Tim Cook's announcement an additional $100 billion Apple investment in the US in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 06 August 2025. EPA/BONNIE CASH / POOL

Global technology stocks advanced on Thursday in a relief rally after the latest tariff salvo from US President Donald Trump largely exempted industry heavyweights from his threat to impose 100% levy on chips and semiconductors.

Trump said the new tariff rate would apply to "all chips and semiconductors coming into the United States," but would not apply to companies that had made a commitment to manufacture in the US or were in the process of doing so.

Apple's stock rose 3.3% in premarket trading after Trump's announcement on Wednesday that the company will invest an additional $100 billion in the US, a move that could help it sidestep potential tariffs on iPhones.

US-listed chipmakers advanced broadly, with Advanced Micro Devices up 2.5%, Intel gaining 2.1% and Nvidia up 1.1%, Reuters reported.

"A major uncertainty has been removed and investors can finally move on," UBS analysts said in a note.

Semiconductor manufacturing equipment supplier Applied Materials and chipmakers Texas Instruments, GlobalFoundries and Broadcom - Apple's partners in the investment effort - climbed between 0.8% and 10.1%.

European chipmakers also joined the rally, with ASML , ASMI and BE Semiconductor Industries climbing about 3% each.

Germany's Infineon said it could not speculate on possible semiconductor tariffs, as no details have been disclosed yet. Its shares were up 0.6%.

Trump's latest on semiconductor tariffs seemingly rules out Taiwanese chip contract manufacturer TSMC, which makes chips for most US companies, including Nvidia, as it has factories in the US.

"The market remains keen to buy TSMC on dips. Investors also believe they need to remain positioned in AI - with or without tariffs," UBS analysts said.

TSMC shares closed almost 5% higher to hit all-time highs, while Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix climbed 2.5% and 1.4%, respectively.

South Korea's Samsung and SK Hynix will also not be subjected to 100% tariffs on chips, the country's top trade envoy said.

Samsung has invested in two chip fabrication plants in Austin and Taylor, Texas, while SK Hynix has announced plans to build an advanced chip packaging plant and research and development facility for artificial intelligence products in Indiana.

Since stepping into the White House in January, Donald Trump has made several tariff threats, specifically on semiconductors, aimed at reshaping the supply chain of the industry and spurring domestic production.

"The (100% tariff) figure fits Trump's approach of 'open high, negotiate down' and the final figure could be similar to reciprocal tariffs to limit inflation in consumer goods, given that many have chips," said Phelix Lee, senior equity analyst at Morningstar.

Not everyone has come out of the latest blitz on the right side, with the Philippines and Malaysia looking to find out more details about the tariff rate.

Dan Lachica, the president of the trade body for the Philippine semiconductor industry, said 70% of its electronics exports are semiconductors and the new tariff rate would be "devastating". Philippine stocks were down 0.1% after falling as much as 0.9% during the day.

Malaysia's trade minister said the country has reached out to US counterparts for clarity on the tariffs.