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AI Image Recognition Guide for 2024

Why AI Image Recognition has the Power to Transform CPG Performance

ai image identification

An exponential increase in image data and rapid improvements in deep learning techniques make image recognition more valuable for businesses. For example, image recognition technology is used to enable autonomous driving from cameras integrated in cars. For an in-depth analysis of AI-powered medical imaging technology, feel free to read our research. As our exploration of image recognition’s transformative journey concludes, we recognize its profound impact and limitless potential.

The customizability of image recognition allows it to be used in conjunction with multiple software programs. For example, after an image recognition program is specialized to detect people in a video frame, it can be used for people counting, a popular computer vision application in retail stores. They can learn to recognize patterns of pixels that indicate a particular object.

ai image identification

Next, there is Microsoft Cognitive Services offering visual image recognition APIs, which include face and celebrity detection, emotion, etc. and then charge a specific amount for every 1,000 transactions. However, start-ups such as Clarifai provide numerous computer vision APIs including the ones for organizing the content, filter out user-generated, unsafe videos and images, and also make purchasing recommendations. In summary, image recognition technology has evolved from a novel concept to a vital component in numerous modern applications, demonstrating its versatility and significance in today’s technology-driven world. Its influence, already evident in industries like manufacturing, security, and automotive, is set to grow further, shaping the future of technological advancement and enhancing our interaction with the digital world.

Train your AI system with image datasets that are specially adapted to meet your requirements. In 2020, you, I, and everyone else took 1.12 trillion photos worldwide, according to a report from Rise Above Research, with a 25% increase projected for 2021. The following three steps form the background on which image recognition works. An image, for a computer, is just a bunch of pixels – either as a vector image or raster. In raster images, each pixel is arranged in a grid form, while in a vector image, they are arranged as polygons of different colors. For marketing teams and content creators, alternate text might not always be front-of-mind.

Personalization Techniques in Franchise Email Marketing

Finding the right balance between imperceptibility and robustness to image manipulations is difficult. Highly visible watermarks, often added as a layer with a name or logo across the top of an image, also present aesthetic challenges for creative or commercial purposes. Likewise, some previously developed imperceptible watermarks can be lost through simple editing techniques like resizing.

All-in-one Computer Vision Platform for businesses to build, deploy and scale real-world applications. Even the smallest network architecture discussed thus far still has millions of parameters and occupies dozens or hundreds of megabytes of space. SqueezeNet was designed to prioritize speed and size while, quite astoundingly, giving up little ground in accuracy.

ai image identification

It is also helping visually impaired people gain more access to information and entertainment by extracting online data using text-based processes. Image recognition helps self-driving and autonomous cars perform at their best. With the help of rear-facing cameras, sensors, and LiDAR, images generated are compared with the dataset using the image recognition software. It helps accurately detect other vehicles, traffic lights, lanes, pedestrians, and more.

Use AI-powered image classification to auto-tag images

The most significant difference between image recognition & data analysis is the level of analysis. In image recognition, the model is concerned only with detecting the object or patterns within the image. On the flip side, a computer vision model not only aims at detecting the object, but it also tries to understand the content of the image, and identify the spatial arrangement. Although both image recognition and computer vision function on the same basic principle of identifying objects, they differ in terms of their scope & objectives, level of data analysis, and techniques involved.

ai image identification

Subsequently, we will go deeper into which concrete business cases are now within reach with the current technology. And finally, we take a look at how image recognition use cases can be built within the Trendskout AI software platform. It involves many challenges, such as low-quality images, noise, occlusion, distortion, or variation. If you want to improve your image recognition, you need to overcome these challenges and optimize your results. The combination of these two technologies is often referred as “deep learning”, and it allows AIs to “understand” and match patterns, as well as identifying what they “see” in images. The key idea behind convolution is that the network can learn to identify a specific feature, such as an edge or texture, in an image by repeatedly applying a set of filters to the image.

Image recognition is a process of identifying and detecting an object or a feature in a digital image or video. It can be used to identify individuals, objects, locations, activities, and emotions. This can be done either through software that compares the image against a database of known objects or by using algorithms that recognize specific patterns in the image.

The final stage is classification, where the system assigns a label to the image based on the extracted features. This is done through various machine learning models or algorithms that compare the features with known categories ai image identification or labels to determine the presence of specific objects or features in the image. For instance, a dataset containing images labeled as ‘cat’ or ‘dog’ allows the algorithm to learn the visual differences between these animals.

  • SynthID isn’t foolproof against extreme image manipulations, but it does provide a promising technical approach for empowering people and organisations to work with AI-generated content responsibly.
  • Pictures or video that is overly grainy, blurry, or dark will be more difficult for the algorithm to process.
  • Data is transmitted between nodes (like neurons in the human brain) using complex, multi-layered neural connections.
  • Cloudinary, a leading cloud-based image and video management platform, offers a comprehensive set of tools and APIs for AI image recognition, making it an excellent choice for both beginners and experienced developers.

The initial layers typically recognize simple features like edges or basic shapes. As the data moves through the network, subsequent layers interpret more complex features, combining simpler patterns identified earlier into more comprehensive representations. This hierarchical processing allows the CNN to understand increasingly complex aspects of the image.

MIT News Massachusetts Institute of Technology

So it can learn and recognize that a given box contains 12 cherry-flavored Pepsis. Once an image recognition system has been trained, it can be fed new images and videos, which are then compared to the original training dataset in order to make predictions. This is what allows it to assign a particular classification to an image, or indicate whether a specific element is present. AI photo recognition and video recognition technologies are useful for identifying people, patterns, logos, objects, places, colors, and shapes.

Successful cosmetics, hair, and skincare brands know that data and metrics are essential when it comes to optimizing their team’s performance, improving compliance, and getting the most out of every.. In the future, this technology will likely become even more ubiquitous and integrated into our everyday lives as technology continues to improve. If a picture truly were worth a thousand words, those 7 trillion photos would be about 7 quadrillion words to search (who even talks in quadrillions?). With an average wordcount for adult fiction of between 70,000 and 120,000, that would mean over 73 billion books to go through. Explore the exciting Kentico Xperience feature AI Image Recognition for image alternative recognition, leveraging Microsoft Azure cognitive services.

These filters slid over input values (such as image pixels), performed calculations and then triggered events that were used as input by subsequent layers of the network. Neocognitron can thus be labelled as the first neural network to earn the label “deep” and is rightly seen as the ancestor of today’s convolutional networks. Everyone has heard about terms such as image recognition, image recognition and computer vision. However, the first attempts to build such systems date back to the middle of the last century when the foundations for the high-tech applications we know today were laid.

During data organization, each image is categorized, and physical features are extracted. Finally, the geometric encoding is transformed into labels that describe the images. This stage – gathering, organizing, labeling, and annotating images – is critical for the performance of the computer vision models. The images are inserted into an artificial neural network, which acts as a large filter.

It’s so fast and so seamless that you forget it’s on and doing its thing—and that’s the beauty of it. From now on, you can just get on with your work whilst artificial intelligence takes care of delivering valuable content and boosting your SEO results for you. Today’s vehicles are equipped with state-of-the-art image recognition technologies enabling them to perceive and analyze the surroundings (e.g. other vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, or traffic signs) in real-time. Thanks to image recognition software, online shopping has never been as fast and simple as it is today. Levity is a tool that allows you to train AI models on images, documents, and text data. You can rebuild manual workflows and connect everything to your existing systems without writing a single line of code.‍If you liked this blog post, you’ll love Levity.

You need to improve your image recognition. Can AI-powered tools help you do it?

A deep learning model specifically trained on datasets of people’s faces is able to extract significant facial features and build facial maps at lightning speed. By matching these maps to the approved database, the solution is able to tell whether a person is a stranger or familiar to the system. Right off the bat, we need to make a distinction between perceiving and understanding the visual world. Various computer vision materials and products are introduced to us through associations with the human eye. It’s an easy connection to make, but it’s an incorrect representation of what computer vision and in particular image recognition are trying to achieve. The brain and its computational capabilities are the real drivers of human vision, and it’s the processing of visual stimuli in the brain that computer vision models are intended to replicate.

Test Yourself: Which Faces Were Made by A.I.? – The New York Times

Test Yourself: Which Faces Were Made by A.I.?.

Posted: Fri, 19 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

We’ve previously spoken about using AI for Sentiment Analysis—we can take a similar approach to image classification. Image classifiers can recognize visual brand mentions by searching through photos. Computer Vision is a branch of AI that allows computers and systems to extract useful information from photos, videos, and other visual inputs.

The image recognition algorithm is fed as many labeled images as possible in an attempt to train the model to recognize the objects in the images. The automotive industry is witnessing a transformative shift with the advent of automated vehicle systems, where image recognition plays a pivotal role. Autonomous vehicles are equipped with an array of cameras and sensors, that continuously capture visual data. This data is processed through image recognition algorithms trained on vast, annotated datasets encompassing diverse road conditions, obstacles, and scenarios. These datasets ensure that the vehicle can safely navigate real-world conditions. The success of autonomous vehicles heavily relies on the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the annotated data used in their development.

Computers can use machine vision technologies in combination with a camera and artificial intelligence (AI) software to achieve image recognition. First, they can help you preprocess your images, such as resizing, cropping, filtering, or augmenting them, to improve their quality and diversity. Second, they can help you train and test your models, such as choosing the best algorithms, parameters, or metrics, to improve their performance and accuracy.

It’s used in various applications, such as facial recognition, object recognition, and bar code reading, and is becoming increasingly important as the world continues to embrace digital. The main aim of using Image Recognition is to classify images on the basis of pre-defined labels & categories after analyzing & interpreting the visual content to learn meaningful information. For example, when implemented correctly, the image recognition algorithm can identify & label the dog in the image. If you’re a legal service provider, legal team, or law firm interested in taking advantage of the power to be had from AI-based image recognition, contact Reveal to learn more.

ai image identification

One of the most important responsibilities in the security business is played by this new technology. Drones, surveillance cameras, biometric identification, and other security equipment have all been powered by AI. In day-to-day life, Google Lens is a great example of using AI for visual search. Companies can leverage Deep Learning-based Computer Vision technology to automate product quality inspection. While it takes a lot of data to train such a system, it can start producing results almost immediately. There isn’t much need for human interaction once the algorithms are in place and functioning.

In many administrative processes, there are still large efficiency gains to be made by automating the processing of orders, purchase orders, mails and forms. A number of AI techniques, including image recognition, can be combined for this purpose. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is a technique that can be used to digitise texts. AI techniques such as named entity recognition are then used to detect entities in texts. But in combination with image recognition techniques, even more becomes possible. Think of the automatic scanning of containers, trucks and ships on the basis of external indications on these means of transport.

Image recognition can identify the content in the image and provide related keywords, descriptions, and can also search for similar images. Faster RCNN (Region-based Convolutional Neural Network) is the best performer in the R-CNN family of image recognition algorithms, including R-CNN and Fast R-CNN. Hardware and software with deep learning models have to be perfectly aligned in order to overcome costing problems of computer vision. Image Detection is the task of taking an image as input and finding various objects within it. An example is face detection, where algorithms aim to find face patterns in images (see the example below).

Image recognition models are trained to take an image as input and output one or more labels describing the image. Along with a predicted class, image recognition models may also output a confidence score related to how certain the model is that an image belongs to a class. To sum things up, image recognition is used for the specific task of identifying & detecting objects within an image. Computer vision takes image recognition a step further, and interprets visual data within the frame.

  • Depending on the number of frames and objects to be processed, this search can take from a few hours to days.
  • Another application for which the human eye is often called upon is surveillance through camera systems.
  • Image recognition can identify the content in the image and provide related keywords, descriptions, and can also search for similar images.
  • In raster images, each pixel is arranged in a grid form, while in a vector image, they are arranged as polygons of different colors.

The journey of image recognition, marked by continuous improvement and adaptation, mirrors the ever-evolving landscape of technology, where innovation is constant, and the potential for impact is limitless. Facial recognition technology is another transformative application, gaining traction in security and personal identification fields. These systems utilize complex algorithms trained on diverse, extensive datasets of human faces. These datasets are annotated to capture a myriad of features, expressions, and conditions. Some modern systems now boast accuracy rates exceeding 99%, a remarkable feat attributable to advanced algorithms and comprehensive datasets.

We help enterprises and public sector organizations transform unstructured images, video, text, and audio data into structured data, significantly faster and more accurately than humans would be able to do on their own. The platform comes with the broadest repository of pre-trained, out-of-the-box AI models built with millions of inputs and context. They detect explicit content, faces as well as predict attributes such as food, textures, colors and people within unstructured image, video and text data. While pre-trained models provide robust algorithms trained on millions of datapoints, there are many reasons why you might want to create a custom model for image recognition. For example, you may have a dataset of images that is very different from the standard datasets that current image recognition models are trained on. In this case, a custom model can be used to better learn the features of your data and improve performance.

ai image identification

Machine translation tools translate texts and speech in one natural language to another without human intervention. These were published in 4 review

platforms as well as vendor websites where the vendor had provided a testimonial from a client

whom we could connect to a real person. Evaluate 69 services based on

comprehensive, transparent and objective AIMultiple scores. For any of our scores, click the information icon to learn how it is

calculated based on objective data. Find out how the manufacturing sector is using AI to improve efficiency in its processes. Start by creating an Assets folder in your project directory and adding an image.

This process is expected to continue with the appearance of novel trends like facial analytics, image recognition for drones, intelligent signage, and smart cards. One of the biggest challenges in machine learning image recognition is enabling the machine to accurately classify images in unusual states, including tilted, partially obscured, and cropped images. This is a task humans naturally excel in, and AI is currently the best shot software engineers have at replicating this talent at scale. Opinion pieces about deep learning and image recognition technology and artificial intelligence are published in abundance these days. From explaining the newest app features to debating the ethical concerns of applying face recognition, these articles cover every facet imaginable and are often brimming with buzzwords. You can be excused for finding it hard to keep up with the hype, especially if your business doesn’t routinely intersect with high-tech solutions and you became interested in the capabilities of computer vision only recently.

This technology, once a subject of academic research, has now permeated various aspects of our daily lives and industries. Its evolution is marked by significant milestones, transforming how machines interpret and interact with the visual world. A compelling indicator of its impact is the rapid growth of the image recognition market. According to recent studies, it is projected to reach an astounding $81.88 billion by 2027. This remarkable expansion reflects technology’s increasing relevance and versatility in addressing complex challenges across different sectors. Our mission is to help businesses find and implement optimal technical solutions to their visual content challenges using the best deep learning and image recognition tools.

Top-1 accuracy refers to the fraction of images for which the model output class with the highest confidence score is equal to the true label of the image. Top-5 accuracy refers to the fraction of images for which the true label falls in the set of model outputs with the top 5 highest confidence scores. The big leap forward, into the realm of AI, happened in the 2000s, with the development of machine learning. This coincided with the new availability of massive datasets, thanks to the internet.

The working of a computer vision algorithm can be summed up in the following steps. Once the images have been labeled, they will be fed to the neural networks for training on the images. You can foun additiona information about ai customer service and artificial intelligence and NLP. Developers generally prefer to use Convolutional Neural Networks or CNN for image recognition because CNN models are capable of detecting features without any additional human input. Once the deep learning datasets are developed accurately, image recognition algorithms work to draw patterns from the images. For example, Google Cloud Vision offers a variety of image detection services, which include optical character and facial recognition, explicit content detection, etc. and charge per photo.

Categories
Domestic Violence Press Release

AG Eric Holder Needs to Put an End to Domestic Violence Myths

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard, 301-801-0608, tstoddard@saveservices.org

WASHINGTON / February 22, 2011 – Attorney General Eric Holder is being called upon to correct a false statement he made about partner abuse, and to set up a task force empowered to review and correct all erroneous domestic violence claims that appear on the DoJ website. The request comes from Stop Abusive and Violent Environments
(SAVE), a victim rights group working for evidence-based solutions to domestic violence: www.saveservices.org

At a Domestic Violence Awareness Month event, Attorney General Eric Holder made this claim: “Intimate partner homicide is the leading cause of death for African-American women ages 15 to 45.” http://www.justice.gov/ag/speeches/2009/ag-speech-091019.html
But a February 4 USA Today article by Christina Hoff Sommers reveals Holder’s claim is wrong. The leading causes of death for these persons are heart disease, cancer, and accidents, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control:
http://www.saveservices.org/2011/02/for-the-record-leading-causes-of-death-for-blackwomen/

“It’s hard to understand why Attorney General Holder is condoning false information on the Department of Justice website,” according to SAVE spokesperson Dr. Claudia Cornell. “Misleading claims give rise to policies that leave abuse-reduction programs ineffective, and in the case of mandatory arrest policies, place victims’ lives at risk.”

Hoff Sommers will headline a press conference to be held in Washington, DC on Thursday, February 24. The event will analyze Attorney General Holder’s claim, as well as other domestic violence myths that have been repeated so often that the American
public has come to accept them as true. Panelists at the press conference will include Philip Cook, author of Abused Men, and
Carl Starling, a victim of domestic violence who was falsely accused by his wife. SAVE recently released a report that shows how often programs fail to provide a truthful depiction of the problem of partner abuse. The analysis concludes that nine out of 10
training, education, and public awareness programs fail to meet minimum standards of objectivity: http://www.saveservices.org/pdf/SAVE-DV-Education-Programs.pdf

Each year the federal government spends $76 million for domestic violence training, education, and public awareness programs. Few of these programs are required to meet quality assurance standards.

The press conference will be held 12:00 – 1:30pm at the Heritage Foundation, 214 Massachusetts Ave, NE, Washington, DC. Media representatives who wish to attend the conference, or to interview Christina Hoff Sommers or other panelists, can register here:
tstoddard@saveservices.org .

Categories
False Allegations Press Release

Maine Prosecutor Coddles Known Child Abuser In Pursuit of False Rape Claim

PRESS RELEASE
Contact:
Teri Stoddard: 301-801-0608
tstoddard@saveservices.org

WASHINGTON, March 30 / P.R. Newswire / Victim advocacy group Stop Abusive
and Violent Environments (SAVE) has filed a Grievance Complaint with the
Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar, requesting the disbarment of assistant
district attorney Mary Kellett. The Complaint can be seen here:
http://www.saveservices.org/wp-content/uploads/COMPLA1.pdf
“Thanks to prosecutor Kellett, proven child abusers in Maine know they can
get a free pass by making a claim of rape,” explains Philip W. Cook, SAVE
spokesman. “Mary Kellett has prosecuted many innocent citizens on
allegations of domestic violence and rape. The Board of Overseers of the Bar
needs to disbar prosecutor Kellett immediately.”
The case arose from the accusations of Ligia Filler, a proven child abuser
with a previous criminal charge history. “The children were victims of
violence from their mother,” including hitting her oldest daughter with
spatulas and spoons, according to a December 3, 2009 Ellsworth (Maine)
District Court ruling. One son said that his mother “would hit everyone in
the house. She was a terror to everybody.”
After Ligia’s husband Vladek indicated his plan to leave the marital home
for the safety of the children, Ms. Filler had an apparent mental
break-down, running through the streets partially clothed, screaming death
threats at police officers on the scene.
Ligia made an allegation of marital rape, and within few days prosecutor
Mary Kellett filed charges. No forensic, medical, or other physical evidence
of sexual assault was presented during the trial. Assistant district
attorney Kellett repeatedly sought to bar the introduction of key evidence
that would serve to exonerate the defendant.
Court-appointed attorney Neil Fishman later commented the proceeding was so
flawed that it resembled a “Salem Witch Trial.” On September 9, 2010 the
Maine Supreme Court issued a ruling that found Kellett had “improperly
encouraged the jury to use the absence of evidence regarding the marriage
ending and a child custody dispute…as a reason to reject Filler’s
defense.” The case was remanded for a retrial in May.
More information on the case can be seen at
http://www.saveservices.org/abuse-hysteria-campaign

Categories
Press Release

Rape Accusation a ‘Fabrication, ’ Says Former Natalee Holloway Investigator

PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Teri Stoddard, 301-801-0608, tstoddard@saveservices.org

WASHINGTON / April 5, 2011 – The former lead investigator of the high-profile Natalee Holloway case is now calling for Maine prosecutors to drop their 4-year-old case against Vladek Filler. TJ Ward, a lead investigator in the Natalee Holloway case in Aruba, has concluded the original allegation was a “fabrication” and believes continued prosecution of the innocent man would be “malicious.”
In a recent radio interview, Ward ticked off a long list of irregularities in the case involving an allegation of rape that was made in the course of a marital break-up. The accuser had a well-known psychiatric condition. She refused the rape kit that the doctor offered to use. During the trial, the prosecutor provided no medical or forensic evidence. Worse, the prosecutor wrongfully blocked the introduction of evidence that would have served to prove Mr. Filler’s innocence. The exculpatory evidence included evidence that the accuser was a known child abuser, that she had a record of prior criminal charges, and that the defendant had requested a restraining order to protect him and his children from her abusive behavior. Ward also highlighted that the state Department of Health and Human Services had sided
with Mr. Filler by recommending he continue to have custody of the children. But Kellett sought to bar that fact, as well.
“It’s just a shame that this gentlemen…has come here to the United States, the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave, and is experiencing this type of behavior, when he’s been exonerated, when he’s not guilty with what he’s charged with, and they’re
continuing to hound this man and run him into the ground.”
The State of Maine’s prosecution of Vladek Filler has attracted international media attention. In December, the state Supreme Court criticized assistant district attorney Mary Kellett for prosecutorial misconduct and ordered a retrial. The case is scheduled to be
heard May 23-26 in Ellsworth Superior Court, Maine.
The interview of TJ Ward can be heard here:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/avoiceformen

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is now calling for the immediate dismissal of all charges against Mr. Filler: http://www.saveservices.org/wpcontent/uploads/BassanoLtr4.4.2011.pdf

Categories
False Allegations Press Release

SAVE Offers Condolences Following the Tragic Death of Reginald Daye, Victim of Duke

PRESS RELEASE
Lacrosse Accuser
Contact:
Teri Stoddard, 301-801-0608
tstoddard@saveservices.org

WASHINGTON / April 18, 2011 – Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE) is offering its condolences to the family and friends of Reginald Daye. “Reggie” Daye, 46, succumbed April
13 after girlfriend Crystal Mangum stabbed him in the chest with a kitchen knife. Mangum is the woman who falsely accused three Duke University lacrosse players of rape in 2006. Daye’s nephew said the couple had been arguing over rent money. The argument got so heated
that someone called police who made a visit to the apartment, but left before the stabbing incident occurred. Mangum is being held on a $300,000 bond. “Reggie” Daye was born on November 3, 1964 in Durham, North Carolina. He was employed by Scotts Painting and Decorating Company. His hobbies included painting, fishing, and cheering on the Dallas Cowboys. Last December Mangum was convicted on most of the charges related to a February, 2010
domestic dispute in which police said she threatened to stab her then boyfriend Milton Walker. Mangum smashed a car windshield, slashed car tires and allegedly set Walker’s clothes on fire while her children were in the home. Mangum spent 88 days in jail for the offenses,
which also included three counts of child abuse. In 2006 Mangum falsely claimed Duke lacrosse players Dave Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann trapped her in a bathroom during a party, then raped and sexually assaulted her. Prosecutor Mike Nifong indicted the three on charges of rape, sexual assault and kidnapping. The case fell apart, but not before the university ended the lacrosse team’s season and forced the coach to resign.
Funeral Services will be held Tuesday, April 19, at 1:00 pm at Union Baptist Church in Durham,
NC. Persons can sign the Guest Book or send a Sympathy Card here:
http://www.meaningfulfunerals.net/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=1134657&fh_id=13210&s_i
d=FB878D5D-0297-2072-368A0F9A757F229A

Categories
Press Release Victims Violence Violence Against Women Act

Press Release: Anti-Violence Bill Loses Focus on Victims, Many Claim

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

Anti-Violence Bill Loses Focus on Victims, Many Claim

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 — A growing number of groups, including Stop Abusive and Violent Environments, are criticizing the proposed reauthorization bill of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) for losing sight of the law’s original intended purpose: to help victims of domestic violence. These concerns were highlighted during the recent February 2 meeting of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Concerned Women for America, the largest women’s organization in the country, noted in a February 1 group letter that the Leahy-Crapo bill will “actually squander the resources for victims of actual violence by failing to properly prioritize and assess victims.”

Victim-advocacy group Survivors in Action decries what it calls the “DV run-around” in which victims are shunted from hotlines to shelters to social service agencies, never receiving the services they need.

Sen. Charles Grassley, ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, deplored the fact that VAWA bill S. 1925 “creates so many new programs for underserved populations that it risks losing the focus on helping victims.” (1)

Even Judiciary Committee chairman Patrick Leahy acknowledged criticism that the VAWA bill is “trying to protect too many victims.” Following debate, Sen. Leahy’s proposed bill was approved by a slim 10-8 margin and was forwarded to the full Senate for consideration.

Vague and over-broad definitions of abuse found in the current law undermine key Constitutional protections for the accused, as well: http://www.saveservices.org/wp-content/uploads/SAVE-Assault-Civil-Rights.pdf

“If we want to stop the cycle of violence and help real victims, the Violence Against Women Act must rein in sweeping definitions, improve accountability, and recognize that women are as likely as men to be physically abusive with their partners,” explains SAVE spokesman Philip W. Cook.

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is proposing consideration of the Partner Violence Reduction Act (2), which accords priority to persons with evidence of physical violence.

Congressman Ted Poe, co-chair of the Victim’s Rights Caucus, has suggested changing the name of VAWA to the Domestic Violence Act, in order to recognize that partner abuse affects members of both sexes (3).

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to partner abuse: www.saveservices.org

(1) http://www.saveservices.org/2012/02/statement-by-sen-chuck-grassley-about-vawa
(2) http://www.saveservices.org/pvra
(3) http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/watercooler/2011/jul/21/picket-vawa-supporter-capitol-hill-looks-have-law-/

Categories
Accountability Campus Civil Rights Department of Education Discrimination Investigations Law & Justice Legal Office for Civil Rights

Sex discrimination in Oklahoma higher education

by: Adam Kissel, October 22, 2020

The world record for filing U.S. Department of Education complaints is probably held by an advocate for special education. She has filed thousands of complaints about equal access to education for people with disabilities.

Her newest challenger is economist Mark J. Perry, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, who has filed hundreds of Title IX civil rights complaints about equal access on the basis of sex. He is winning, which often means ending unlawful discrimination against male students. Mr. Perry recently preserved civil rights at the University of Central Oklahoma, which had advertised that “the 2020 Computer Forensics Summer Academy is for high school female students. The application will be unavailable for male students.”

But sex discrimination need not be so blatant to be unlawful. In Teamsters v. United States in 1977, the U.S. Supreme Court noted that discrimination is not limited to direct signs that people will see (like “no boys allowed”) but can include “actual practices” such as how the opportunity is publicized and “recruitment techniques.”

It appears that many programs at Oklahoma colleges and universities are discriminatory and violate Title IX.

Not only might these programs violate federal law, but most of them might also violate the state constitutional provision against preferential treatment or discrimination in public education on the basis of sex.

At the University of Oklahoma (OU), for example, the Halliburton Women’s Welcome program explicitly excludes male students. This educational program provides “an opportunity to get a jumpstart on forming unique connections that will facilitate your success as an engineering or science student” and provides the benefit of “the opportunity to move into the residence halls early.” Under “WHO?” it specifies: “All WOMEN who: have been accepted to OU and will be starting classes in Summer or Fall 2020.” To be clear, OU put the word “WOMEN” in all caps and underlined it.

The restriction in that program is blatant. OU also holds a ONEOK Working Woman Workshop, which claims to be just for women: the mission of the workshop is to provide OU women engineering students “with professional and personal development opportunities that contribute to the preparation of students for career paths in industry and academia.” The name of the program and its mission both make it clear who is wanted and who is not.

OU also appears to discriminate against younger male students. Its Girls Learning and Applying Math and Science (GLAMS) program, to be held online on November 13, states that “Girls in their 6th, 7th or 8th grade year in the spring of this academic year should apply.” The program adds, “African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaskan Native and or First Generation students are strongly encouraged to apply; however, the program considers all applicants.” But boys are clearly unwanted. Photos of the program show 100% girls.

Additionally, OU holds an annual High School Girls Day sponsored by Shell, which similarly limits older boys from participating: “Current high school girls in the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grade in the spring of this academic year should apply.”

These four examples are just the beginning at OU and elsewhere.

At Oklahoma State University (OSU), in contrast to OU, the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) explicitly claims to “assist men and women in leadership and professional skills.” SWE holds SWE Day, a hands-on educational program to introduce “high school females” to the college of engineering, only for girls. SWE is primarily a club and does not necessarily represent OSU officially, so SWE Day may be more likely to fall afoul of campus nondiscrimination rules than become a Title IX case.

The University of Tulsa (TU) Department of Mathematics explicitly limits its Tulsa Girls’ Math Circle program “to girls from the Tulsa-area who are in 6th, 7th and 8th grades.” The program’s FAQ specifies that the program is for “Any intellectually curious and highly capable girl who is in grade 6 or above from any school in the Tulsa area.” Although TU is a private institution, it is bound by Title IX and equally in danger of losing federal funds if found to discriminate on the basis of sex.

TU also says it hosts girls (only) on campus for Tech Trek Tulsa, a weeklong program “for girls entering 8th grade.” This program appears, however, no longer to exist at TU. But TU also says it holds Sonia Kovalevsky Day, an annual “all day, all girls, all math” event that has continued into 2020. The partner organization, the Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance, might no longer partner with TU, since its website now says that the Alliance partners with Tulsa Community College (TCC) for this program.

TCC also runs the Mothers on a Mission program for students who are single mothers. This program provides “resources to empower single mothers through powerful speakers, peer collaboration, individual coaching, study help, and leadership training.” It appears that single fathers are not invited, although one line in the description refers to student-parents instead of mothers in particular.

Northeastern State University (NSU) offers a Girl Powered S.T.E.A.M. Workshop that is “centered around girls” ages 6–14. NSU says that “this is an initiative to educate girls in more S.T.E.A.M. areas.” Although the webpage says that “all are welcome,” the initiative is evidently only for girls of those ages, not boys.

Rogers State University (RSU) runs a Girls STEM Camp. Information online is thin, but it appears to be for girls only.

Not only might these programs violate federal law, but most of them might also violate the state constitutional provision against preferential treatment or discrimination in public education on the basis of sex. They also might violate the institutions’ own rules and policies against discrimination. Taking them together, one might see not just an unlawful bias in individual programs, but institutional bias at entire universities and in the public postsecondary system altogether. While Mr. Perry appears to have more Oklahoma work to do at the federal level, the civil rights staff in the state Attorney General’s office may also have some work to do.

The best solution, though, is for the colleges to remedy all discrimination before anyone files a complaint. Individual colleges, the state regents, and the Oklahoma State Department of Education may want to investigate sooner rather than later. Mr. Perry knows what he is doing and is effective in rooting out discrimination.

Adam Kissel is a former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Higher Education Programs in the Office of Postsecondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education. He previously served as vice president of programs for the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, directing the program that defended the fundamental rights of students and faculty members across the country. He holds degrees from Harvard University and the University of Chicago.

https://www.ocpathink.org/post/sex-discrimination-in-oklahoma-higher-education

Categories
Department of Education Department of Justice Law & Justice Legal Office for Civil Rights

Judge Barrett a reformer for higher education

Opinion – Op-Ed

by Chandler Thornton, 10/25/2020

Conservatives greeted the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court with enthusiasm for her originalist interpretation of the law, but all students who care about civil liberties, regardless of political persuasion, should welcome her nomination for the decidedly positive effect it will have in restoring sanity on America’s college campuses.

Over the last several decades, liberals on college campuses have enacted racial preferences in admissions, clamped down on the free speech rights of campus conservatives, imposed strict ideological tests on students, and eliminated any pretense of due process for students unfairly accused of sexual assault.

In particular, under President Obama, universities were provided guidance in 2011 and 2014 that led to the creation of “kangaroo courts,” where students facing sexual misconduct charges were punished without being afforded a hearing or the right to cross-examine their accuser. This led to a wave of cases that were invalidated by courts nationwide.

Last year, Judge Barrett authored a unanimous opinion for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit that restored the rights of a student, named “John Doe,” who alleged his university violated both the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and Title IX when investigating and adjudicating an allegation of sexual misconduct brought forward by another student, referred to as “Jane Doe.”

In her ruling in Doe v. Purdue University, Judge Barrett said Purdue’s procedures fell far short of fair, just and impartial treatment.

“John received notice of Jane’s allegations and denied them, but Purdue did not disclose its evidence to John. Withholding the evidence on which it relied in adjudicating his guilt was sufficient to render the process fundamentally unfair,” Barrett wrote.

Judge Barrett went on to cite some of the problems with Purdue’s grossly unfair rush to judgment.

“At John’s meeting with the Advisory Committee, two of the three panel members candidly admitted that they had not read the investigative report, which suggests that they decided that John was guilty based on the accusation rather than the evidence. And in a case that boiled down to a ‘he said/she said,’ it is particularly concerning that … the committee concluded that Jane was the more credible witness — in fact, that she was credible at all — without ever speaking to her in person. Indeed, they did not even receive a statement written by Jane herself, much less a sworn statement,” Barrett noted.

A shift to a more originalist-minded Supreme Court is coming at a time when the spotlight is on higher education, as race-based admissions and the stifling of campus free speech have become controversial flash points.

While Judge Barrett’s views on campus free speech and racial preferences are less documented, she drew clear lines between herself and the late Justice Antonin Scalia, who consistently voted against race-conscious admissions and was an outspoken defender of free speech.

At the Rose Garden ceremony where President Trump announced her nomination, Barrett said, “I clerked for Justice Scalia more than 20 years ago, but the lessons I learned still resonate. His judicial philosophy is mine, too.”

Understanding the importance of applying the law as written, guided by the original intent of the authors, and careful not to inject one’s own personal views or subjective policy opinions, was a hallmark of Scalia’s judicial philosophy.

That Judge Barrett will take the same approach is a relief for those of us looking forward to the day when common sense and fair play return to college campuses.

Chandler Thornton is the national chairman of the College Republican National Committee.

Categories
Campus Office for Civil Rights Sex Stereotyping Title IX Title IX Equity Project Victims

PR: Hinting at Sex Bias, Federal Judge Slaps Down RPI for Circumventing New Title IX Regulation

Contact: Rebecca Stewart

Telephone: 513-479-3335

Email: info@saveservices.org

Hinting at Sex Bias, Federal Judge Slaps Down RPI for Circumventing New Title IX Regulation

WASHINGTON / October 26, 2020 – A federal judge has ruled against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for utilizing its old Title IX policy for a case that was adjudicated after the August 14 effective date of the new regulation. The decision is widely seen as a rebuke to RPI, both because it reversed a decision by college administrators, and because of the strong language used in the opinion (1).

In this case, John Doe and Jane Roe had a sexual encounter while under the strong influence of alcohol. Echoing the familiar he-said, she-said pattern, Doe alleged that Roe pressured him to put his hands around her neck and engage in unprotected sex. In contrast, Roe claimed that his hands were placed on her neck in a non-sexual way, and that the sexual activity was non-consensual.

Doe and Roe filed Title IX complaints against each other with school officials.

During the campus adjudication, RPI applied different standards against the two parties, deciding that “Doe’s complaint against Roe was insufficiently substantiated because he failed to prove that he did not voluntarily consume alcohol and did not initiate sexual contact with Roe.” As a result, the college made a determination in favor of Roe.

Doe then filed a lawsuit in the New York Northern District Court. In his October 16 ruling, Judge David Hurd suggested that sex bias was at work: “[T]he female’s complaint proceeded without issue, the male’s was struck down in part on grounds not contemplated anywhere in the policy’s definition of consent. That inequitable treatment provides not inconsiderable evidence that gender was a motivating factor in RPI’s treatment of Doe.”

Relying on unusually strong language, the court commented that “whatever answer may come to the question of how to secure the rights of an accusing woman and an accused man, that answer cannot be that all men are guilty. Neither can it be that all women are victims.” Doe had presented strong evidence that “RPI has come down on the opposite side of that truth,” the court concluded.

Sex discrimination against male students appears to be widespread on college campuses. Recently, George Washington University ordered 23 student groups to amend their constitutions to comply with the school’s nondiscrimination policy. These groups include Girls Who Code, Queens Movement, and female-only service groups (2).

Other forms of sex discrimination include female-only services (3), female-specific scholarships (4), one-sided gender studies courses (5), and sex stereotyping (6).

This appears to be the first judicial ruling regarding the applicability of the new Title IX regulation. Judge Hurd’s decision can be viewed online (7).

Links:

  1. https://www.thefire.org/judge-benchslaps-rensselaer-polytechnic-institute-for-its-treatment-of-accused-student/
  2. https://www.gwhatchet.com/2020/10/07/student-groups-required-to-update-bylaws-to-meet-gw-inclusion-policy/
  3. https://www.aei.org/carpe-diem/another-victory-from-my-efforts-to-advance-civil-rights-and-challenge-systemic-sexism-in-higher-education/
  4. http://www.saveservices.org/equity/scholarships/
  5. https://www.haaretz.com/1.5119341
  6. http://www.saveservices.org/2020/10/pr-noting-the-seriousness-of-penalties-college-administrators-suspend-trainings-that-promote-sex-stereotypes/
  7. https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nynd.125951/gov.uscourts.nynd.125951.16.0.pdf
Categories
Law & Justice Legal Title IX

Federal judge rejects ACLU-backed lawsuit against Title IX rule

by Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, @jbeowulf

October 21, 2020

Dive Brief:

  • A federal judge Tuesday dismissed an American Civil Liberties Union-backed lawsuit that sought to void the U.S. Department of Education’s contentious new rule governing campus sexual violence.
  • The ACLU filed it on behalf of four activist groups in May, arguing certain provisions of the Title IX regulation, such as no longer looking into certain off-campus cases, were unlawful.
  • This is the latest defeat in a string of legal challenges against the rule, suggesting it will likely remain in effect for some time.

Dive Insight:

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ new rule directing how colleges should investigate and potentially punish campus sexual assault went into effect in August.

The changes represent a significant shift from the Obama administration’s position on Title IX, the federal law barring sex discrimination in education. Its guidance is credited with bolstering survivor protections.

DeVos’ rule narrows the definition of sexual harassment, and it reduces the number of cases colleges would need to investigate. It also creates a quasi-judicial system for reviewing allegations, in which both parties, through a surrogate, can cross-examine the other.

Survivor advocacy groups, as well as Democratic attorneys general, sued shortly after DeVos issued the final rule in May. None have succeeded in blocking the regulation so far.

U.S. District Court Judge Richard Bennett, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, threw out the ACLU-led case Tuesday, writing that the organizations lacked standing to sue. One of them, Know Your IX, can file an amended complaint, however.

The groups argued the rule violated the Administrative Procedure Act, the process by which government agencies issue regulation. And they said it undermined the intent of Title IX and created burdens for colleges to comply.

Bennett wrote that Know Your IX, specifically, didn’t prove the rule was reducing student reports of sexual violence. In a previous court case against the department’s Title IX policies, Bennett wrote, the plaintiff was able to show a decrease in student complaints.

Know Your IX also didn’t demonstrate the rule resulted in more work for the organization, as it alleged. The group said in court filings it received a “spike in training requests” for spring 2020 and believed it would see more, but Bennett wrote this was speculative.

Know Your IX tweeted Wednesday it was disappointed with the decision and would discuss next steps with its counsel.

https://www.educationdive.com/news/federal-judge-rejects-aclu-backed-lawsuit-against-title-ix-rule/587482/