Milwaukee police have made a controversial trade by exchanging access to 2.5 million mugshots for free facial recognition technology. This raises significant ethical and legal questions, such as the potential misuse of biometric data and the treatment of individuals who have not been convicted of crimes. Discussions among commenters highlight concerns over the legality of permanent mugshot retention and the implications for privacy, given that many of these images may belong to innocent individuals. Alternative solutions proposed include homomorphic encryption techniques to enhance privacy protections. Overall, this incident represents a growing trend towards increased surveillance and the commercial use of personal data, which could lead to further regulation, transparency demands, and public backlash.