https://www.techdirt.com/2024/12/30/ftc-orders-gun-detection-tech-maker-evolv-to-stop-overstating-effectiveness-of-its-glorified-metal-detectors/ [ ] Techdirt. [ ] * Sign In * Register * Preferences Techdirt [ ] * TechDirt * GreenHouse * Free Speech * Error 402 * Ctrl-Alt-Speech * Deals * Jobs * Support Techdirt [podcast-ti] Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Of 2024 At Techdirt Mindlessly 'Deregulating' U.S. Telecom Contributed to The Worst Hack In U.S. History FTC Orders 'Gun Detection' Tech Maker Evolv To Stop Overstating Effectiveness Of Its Glorified Metal Detectors [uses-of-te] (Mis)Uses of Technology from the same-old-stuff-only-much-more-expensive dept Mon, Dec 30th 2024 05:22am - Tim Cushing Evolv might be new to the game but it's already made a name for itself. And not a good one. It was an integral part of New York City Mayor Eric Adams' ongoing run of public failures. The mayor announced Evolv would be placing its "gun detection" tech in the city's subways, despite the public admission of Evolv CEO Peter George (during a call with investors) that the tech wouldn't work all that well in subways. "Subways, in particular, are not a place that we think is a good use case for us," George said, due to the "interference with the railways." He probably meant interference from the railways, but the end result of Evolv's trial run could probably be described as "interference with the railways" just as accurately. A pilot program testing AI-powered weapons scanners inside some New York City subway stations this summer did not detect any passengers with firearms -- but falsely alerted more than 100 times, according to newly released police data. Through nearly 3,000 searches, the scanners turned up more than 118 false positives as well as 12 knives, police said, though they declined to say whether the positive hits referred to illegal blades or tools, such as pocket knives, that are allowed in the transit system. On one hand, CEO Peter George definitely didn't oversell the tech's effectiveness when he expressed his reluctance to deploy it in city subways. On the other hand, it would appear Evolv's sales force has overstated the tech's effectiveness so often, the Federal Trade Commission has been forced to step in. Here's more from Matthew Guariglia and Cooper Quintin of the EFF: The Federal Trade Commission has entered a settlement with self-styled "weapon detection" company Evolv, to resolve the FTC's claim that the company "knowingly" and repeatedly" engaged in "unlawful" acts of misleading claims about their technology. Essentially, Evolv's technology, which is in schools, subways, and stadiums, does far less than they've been claiming. The FTC alleged in their complaint that despite the lofty claims made by Evolv, the technology is fundamentally no different from a metal detector: "The company has insisted publicly and repeatedly that Express is a 'weapons detection' system and not a 'metal detector.' This representation is solely a marketing distinction, in that the only things that Express scanners detect are metallic and its alarms can be set off by metallic objects that are not weapons." Evolv is selling metal detectors with some unproven AI stapled to them. Because there's AI involved, the company has no qualms about selling its metal detectors for up to five times the going rate of regular, non-AI-tainted metal detectors. If customers balk at the markup, that's where the salespeople step in to, apparently, overstate the accuracy of Evolv's tech and its presumed effectiveness in reducing violent crime by detecting weapons. Here's what the settlement [PDF] prevents Evolv from making representations about in its marketing materials, advertising, or anything connected with pitching its products to potential customers: A. the ability to detect weapons; B. the ability to ignore harmless personal items; C. the ability to detect weapons while ignoring harmless personal items; D. the ability to ignore harmless personal items without requiring visitors to remove any such items from pockets or bags; E. weapons detection accuracy, including in comparison to the use of metal detectors; F. false alarm rates, including comparisons to the use of metal detectors; G. the speed at which visitors can be screened, as compared to the use of metal detectors; H. labor costs, including comparisons to the use of metal detectors; I. testing, or the results of any testing; or J. any material aspect of its performance, efficacy, nature, or central characteristics, including, but not limited to, the use of algorithms, artificial intelligence, or other automated systems or tools Wow. That's pretty much everything the company could possibly say about its products, which pretty much means it can only provide customers with makes/model numbers and the price of those offerings. There's no "pitch" left to be made, which means the company is certainly already working towards having this settlement heavily altered or rescinded on appeal. It also instructs the company to inform all of its educational facility customers that they can cancel their contracts immediately and pay only what's owed through the point the contract is cancelled. The only upside for Evolv is that this settlement only applies to its Evolv Express product and only to its marketing to customers in the educational field. It's still open season elsewhere, but this settlement contains admissions by the company that it misled these particular customers, which should make other potential customers in other areas (hospitals, subways, etc.) far more wary of trusting Evolv's effectiveness assertions. Filed Under: ftc, gun detection tech, nyc, settlement Companies: evolv 13 CommentsLeave a Comment If you liked this post, you may also be interested in... * ExTwitter's Last-Minute Update To Kids Online Safety Act Still Fails To Protect Kids--Or Adults--Online * FTC's Lina Khan Takes Aim At Sneaky Fees On Her Way Out The Door * Another Study Confirms NYC's Shotspotter Deployment Was A Waste Of Money * Incoming FTC Chair: I Will Stop All These Investigations That I Falsely Claim Are Politically Motivated In Order To Launch My Own Openly Politically Motivated Investigations * Ctrl-Alt-Speech: Comply & Demand * * * * * * * * * * * * * Rate this comment as insightful Rate this comment as funny You have rated this comment as insightful You have rated this comment as funny Flag this comment as abusive/trolling/spam You have flagged this comment The first word has already been claimed The last word has already been claimed Lightbulb icon Laughing icon Flag icon Lightbulb icon Laughing icon Comments on "FTC Orders 'Gun Detection' Tech Maker Evolv To Stop Overstating Effectiveness Of Its Glorified Metal Detectors" Subscribe: RSS Leave a comment * Filter comments in by Time * Filter comments as Threaded * Filter only comments rated Insightful * Filter only comments rated funny LOL * Filter only comments that are Unread 13 Comments Collapse all replies [3ae0c4c00a]Anonymous Coward says: December 30, 2024 at 5:47 am You know what else detects guns? An MRI machine. They also grab onto other things, but they customer doesn't need to know that. Perhaps someone should make a startup that sells powerful electromagnets and sell them to the MTA to put in the turnstiles. It'll forcefully remove the guns from any would-be criminals! Collapse replies (1) Reply View in chronology Make this comment the first word Make this comment the last word Threaded [2] [user-default]Flakbait (profile) says: December 30, 2024 at 6:59 am Re: There's a plan! Not only will those big magnets forcefully remove the guns from would-be criminals, they would demagnetize the credit and ATM cards and hotel room keys for all those ne'er-do-wells...and everyone else, for that matter (the strips still work as back-up for the chips). Let's not forget that we'll show those bad guys that crime never pays by ripping their phones out of their pockets! And screw your pacemaker, we have to get the guns! Collateral damage to all the innocents is a small price to pay to create an orderly society! Reply View in chronology Make this comment the first word Make this comment the last word [cfe13dc58b]Anonymous Coward says: December 30, 2024 at 5:54 am "Through nearly 3,000 searches, the scanners turned up more than 118 false positives" Mission Accomplished, it's the new stop 'n frisk Reply View in chronology Make this comment the first word Make this comment the last word [0b6b0d7de1]Anonymous Coward says: December 30, 2024 at 6:43 am ..... New York's extreme gun laws don't achieve their advertised results either, but the Federal government never sanctions politicians for making phony claims about their policies and legislaton Collapse replies (2) Reply View in chronology Make this comment the first word Make this comment the last word Threaded [2] [f6a13d8934]Anonymous Coward says: December 30, 2024 at 11:19 am Re: I'm curious about how the NY gun laws are extreme when compared with some other undisclosed place who also has some unknown level of gun control. Reply View in chronology Make this comment the first word Make this comment the last word Threaded [2] [e4dafbe834]Anonymous Coward says: December 30, 2024 at 12:53 pm Re: Weird how gun control doesn't work well across open state borders. Sounds like we need extreme gun laws at the federal level! Reply View in chronology Make this comment the first word Make this comment the last word [bbdb997f84]Pixelation says: December 30, 2024 at 7:37 am Maybe call it what it is... I have to think some of the issue is companies falsely advertising LLM's as AI. Collapse replies (2) Reply View in chronology Make this comment the first word Make this comment the last word Threaded [2] [cda389e0fc]Anonymous Coward says: December 30, 2024 at 9:19 am Re: This is state of the art AI: if get_detected_item() == "weapon": beep() else: beep() # Just in case... Reply View in chronology Make this comment the first word Make this comment the last word Threaded [2] [51c9aeabc5]Anonymous Coward says: December 30, 2024 at 11:29 am Re: I was under the impression that LLM was considered to be a type of AI. Reply View in chronology Make this comment the first word Make this comment the last word [c6907f4895]Anonymous Coward says: December 30, 2024 at 8:07 am With everything else they could say rules out, Evolv's new marketing will just say "Evolv, apply directly to the forehead" Reply View in chronology Make this comment the first word Make this comment the last word [edecb956de]Anonymous Coward says: December 30, 2024 at 8:12 am Wait til Evolv unleashes its "guaranteed 100% effective" criminal detection system. That turns out to be based entirely on skin color. Reply View in chronology Make this comment the first word Make this comment the last word [u15994_100x0-1]That Anonymous Coward (profile) says: December 30, 2024 at 9:00 am Everyone wants something done now now now but they never seem to understand that demanding it now now now means it will be wrong wrong wrong. But then the program is so popular, even as its failing miserably, no one dares tries improve it. They need to punish the NYC leadership for bothering with a tech, even the fscking vendor said wouldn't work (do you understand how this NEVER happens??), but they still went forward with it & expect they aren't going to be crucified for giving people false hope. Reply View in chronology Make this comment the first word Make this comment the last word [1dd7c6fdeb]Anonymous Coward says: December 30, 2024 at 9:14 am Of course, there is still the detection failure with ceramic or plastic blade knifes, but the technology is not even virtually close to such a detail. Reply View in chronology Make this comment the first word Make this comment the last word --------------------------------------------------------------------- [] says: Add Your Comment Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Have a Techdirt Account? Sign in now. Want one? 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