This post was written by EFF legal intern Alexa Chavara. Black box technology has no place in the criminal legal system. That’s why we’ve once again filed an amicus brief arguing that the both the defendant and the public have a right to information regarding face recognition technology (FRT) that was used during an investigation to identify a criminal defendant. Back in June 2023, we filed an amicus brief along with Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) in State of New Jersey v. Arteaga. We argued that information regarding the face recognition technology used to identify the defendant should be disclosed due to the fraught process of a face recognition search and the many ways that inaccuracies manifest in the use of the technology. The New Jersey appellate court agreed, holding that state prosecutors must turn over detailed information to the defendant about the FRT used, including how it works, its source code, and its error rate. The court held that this ensures the defendant’s due process rights with the ability to examine the information, scrutinize its reliability, and build a defense. Last month, partnering with the same organizations, we filed another amicus brief in favor of transparency regarding FRT in the criminal system, this time in the New Jersey Supreme Court in State of New Jersey v. Miles. In Miles, New Jersey law enforcement used FRT to identify Mr. Miles as a suspect in a criminal investigation. The defendant, represented by the same public defender in Arteaga, moved for discovery on information about the FRT used, relying on Arteaga. The trial court granted this request for discovery, and the appellate court affirmed. The State then appealed to the New Jersey Supreme Court, where the issue is before the Court for the first time. As explained in our amicus brief, disclosure is necessary to ensure criminal prosecutions are based on accurate evidence. Every search using face recognition technology presents a unique risk of error depending on various factors from the specific FRT system used, the databases searched, the quality of the photograph, and the demographics of the individual. Study after study shows that facial recognition algorithms are not always reliable, and that error rates spike significantly when involving faces of people of color,  especially Black women, as well as trans and nonbinary people. Moreover, these searches often determine the course of investigation, reinforcing errors and resulting in numerous wrongful arrests, most often of Black folks. Discovery is the last chance to correct harm from misidentification and to allow the defendant to understand the evidence against them. Furthermore, the public, including independent experts, have the right to examine the technology used in criminal proceedings. Under the First Amendment and the more expansive New Jersey Constitution corollary, the public’s right to access criminal judicial proceedings includes filings in pretrial proceedings, like the information being sought here. That access provides the public meaningful oversight of the criminal justice system and increases confidence in judicial outcomes, which is especially significant considering the documented risks and shortcomings of FRT.

Kenny Rogers was a major part of pop culture history… in a way you’d probably never expect. The late, great Kenny was good friends with both Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson back in the day, so he was a natural choice to represent country music when it came to the recording of the 1985 hit, “We Are The World.” Of course, the song features vocals from over 45 of music’s biggest names, including the aforementioned writers Lionel and Michael Jackson, as well as Cyndi Lauper, Bob Dylan, Smokey Robinson, Bruce Springsteen Diana Ross and Dionne Warwick, just to name a few. It also includes country music’s own Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings (who didn’t make it until the end of the recording) and Rogers, who said it was “very humbling very quickly” to walk into that studio and see so many legendary musicians in one room. But aside from being an incredible musical artist, Rogers had a passion for photography, and he released several books with original photos in the 80’s, including one called Your Friends and Mine: A Collection of 80 Photographs, which Michael Jackson was featured in. And it was around that time that Rogers took the first-ever photos of Jackson in his signature fedora. He wore it as a child and teenager when he was in the Jackson 5, and here and there during other performances, but he notably wore it in “Billie Jean” music video in 1983, and it became iconic when he debuted the moonwalk during a performance of the song at the Motown 25th anniversary special. Of course, Jackson’s skin and face changed a lot following this performance, and he had multiple facial surgeries that change his look drastically, and so the fedora became a signature part of his look not only for it to be an accessory onstage, but to cover up some things he didn’t want everyone to see all the time. Rogers recalled being the first one to shoot photos of Michael with the hat on when it became standard wear for him, because Jackson wanted to see if the shadows would completely cover his face and how it would look on film. In an interview with Dan Rather many years ago, Rogers also remembered his special time with Michael when he came to have his photograph taken with his chimpanzee, Bubbles, and he stayed much longer than 15 minutes at Rogers’ studio: “You know, I did a photography book called ‘Your Friends And Mine.’ And I had a building in LA, and a studio in it. Once I got Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Jackson, people were calling me to be in it. And the reason I think I got so many people like George Burns, and Lucille Ball, and Gregory Beckett and all of these guys is that I promised everybody they’d be in and out in 15 minutes. Because I was shooting in 8 x 10 format, so you have to have a separate piece of film for every shot. I said, ‘I’ll shoot two colors and two black and whites, and if you don’t like what I get, we just won’t put it in the book.’ Well Michael… I said, ‘You’ll be in and out in 15 minutes.’ He stayed eight hours. He came over and he brought Bubbles, his chimpanzee with him, and we sat and talked. And I think when you get, it’s like Elvis, when you get to that status, you don’t have a lot of people you can just talk to. He couldn’t go anywhere. He couldn’t be a person. And we talked about… I shot the first pictures of him with the hat. Because I think he was gonna have some surgery done, and he wanted to see if the shadows would cover it. And they’re beautiful pictures, some no one’s ever seen before.” What a story… to have been a fly on the wall during that eight hour conversation, too. It’s incredible to just imagine what they would’ve talked about, and I love that they were such good friends and had such a strong connection. Plus, for Rogers to have been entrusted with taking the first fedora photos is just so cool… Michael didn’t need some fancy professional photographer, he trusted Kenny, and the rest, as they say, is pop culture history. I mean, Michael Jackson and his fedora, which he wore often while doing his iconic moonwalk, is one of the most recognizable and famous images of all-time, and it’s so interesting to know what kind of a role Kenny Rogers played in bringing that all together. Legendary, to say the very least… what I would give to see the unpublished photographs that helped shape the imagine of Jackson as a global solo artist and the all-time great in pop music. You can watch the full interview here: The post Kenny Rogers Took The First Photos Of Michael Jackson Wearing His Signature Fedora: “Beautiful Pictures… Some No One’s Ever Seen Before” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

One of the biggest artists in country music – ever. Luke Combs has had a seemingly meteoric rise over the past few years. The first time I saw him was in January 2017 at Iron City in Birmingham, a venue that holds just over 1,000 people. Muscadine Bloodline was opening for him, and it was just a couple of months after his debut single “Hurricane” had been released. That was obviously one of the last shows of that size that Luke was able to play, because it seems like it was no time at all before he was headlining arenas, and now stadiums. Since “Hurricane” topped the charts in 2017, Luke has scored an insane 19 #1 hits, four Platinum albums, and two wins for Entertainer of the Year at the CMA Awards. Just an insane run that he’s on right now. Well Luke was recently awarded with some more hardware from the RIAA, picking up 34 new certifications that push him into the second best-selling country artist of ALL time, behind only Garth Brooks, and one of the top 15 best-selling artists of all time in ANY genre. Among the RIAA milestones, Luke picked up a Diamond certification for “She Got The Best Of Me,” making him the only country artist in history to have four Diamond-certified singles. (A Diamond certification signals 10 million units, with a unit being either one digital download or 150 streams). He also picked up new Platinum certifications for his 2023 album Gettin’ Old, which is now 2x Platinum, as well as his 2017 debut album This One’s For You, which is now 7x Platinum. The new certifications put Luke at 155.5 million units, with Garth Brooks being in 9th all time, just ahead of Luke at 162.5 million. The best-selling artist of all time is currently Drake with 298.5 million units, while Taylor Swift is in 6th with 194.5 million units and country newcomer Post Malone is 11th all-time with 157 million units. There’s no doubt in my mind that Luke will pass Garth at some point relatively soon to become the best-selling country artist of all time. The only question is just how far up the chart he can get, and whether he’ll eventually end his career as the best-selling artist of ANY genre. Right now, I don’t see what – or who – is going to stop him. NEW RIAA CERTIFICATIONS SINGLES: “Beautiful Crazy” – 14x Platinum “When It Rains It Pours” – 12x Platinum “Hurricane” – 11x Platinum “Forever After All” – 8x Platinum “Beer Never Broke My Heart” – 8x Platinum “Fast Car” – 7x Platinum “The Kind of Love We Make” – 6x Platinum “One Number Away” – 6x Platinum “Better Together” – 5x Platinum “Even Though I’m Leaving” – 4x Platinum “Where The Wild Things Are” – 4x Platinum “Going, Going, Gone” – 3x Platinum “Love You Anyway” – 3x Platinum “Must’ve Never Met You” – 3x Platinum “Does To Me” – 3x Platinum “Lovin’ On You” – 3x Platinum “1, 2 Many” – 2x Platinum “Cold As You” – 2x Platinum “Growin’ Up & Gettin’ Old” – Platinum “Nothing Like You” – Platinum “5 Leaf Clover” – Platinum “Beer Can” – Platinum “I Got Away With You” – Platinum “Tomorrow Me” – Platinum “What You See Is What You Get” – Platinum “Remember Him That Way” – Gold “The Man He Sees In Me” – Gold “Outrunnin’ Your Memory” – Gold “Every Little Bit Helps” – gold “New Every Day” – Gold “The Other Guy” – gold ALBUMS: Gettin’ Old – 2x Platinum This One’s For You – 7x PlatinumThe post Luke Combs Just Became The Second Best-Selling Country Artist In History – Behind Only Garth Brooks first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Conner Smith appears to be stepping away from country music for the time being following his involvement in a fatal accident that took place in Nashville earlier this month. Smith, who is signed to Big Machine Records, is most prominently known as an artist who rose in the country music ranks thanks to TikTok. His song “I Hate Alabama” went viral a couple of years ago, and fans might also recognize his hit song “Creek Will Rise,” or his Tennessee anthem “Orange and White.” He also released his debut album Smoky Mountains in January 2024, and he’s since made plenty of appearances at various country music festivals. Days prior to his performance at CMA Fest in Music City earlier this month, Smith had played at the Carolina Country Music Fest. Following that, he returned home to Nashville and performed on the Chevy Riverfront Stage the Saturday afternoon of CMA Fest weekend. Then, just over 24 hours after he stepped off the festival stage in downtown Nashville, he was involved in a tragic accident that took the life of a 77-year-old woman. Initial reports from TMZ suggested that country music singer Conner Smith was behind the wheel of a truck that struck and killed an elderly woman in Nashville on Sunday, June 8. According to law enforcement, Smith was heading north on 3rd Avenue in his Chevy Silverado as 77-year-old Dorothy Dobbins was attempting to cross the street. Nashville authorities have reported that Dobbins – who was a local resident of Nashville – was in a marked crosswalk when she was tragically hit around 7:30 PM. First responders rushed to the scene following the incident, and the 77-year-old Nashvillian was transported to the nearby Vanderbilt Medical Center. She unfortunately succumbed to her injuries and was officially pronounced dead at the hospital. Early reports suggest that Dorothy Dobbins had the right of way in the crosswalk, and that Smith failed to yield to her. The police say that Conner Smith did not show any signs of impairment immediately after the crash, nor was he using his cell phone as he was driving. As of right now, a search of Davidson County court records show that no criminal charges have been filed, but authorities report that the investigation into the crash is still ongoing. Conner Smith’s attorney confirmed that the country singer was involved in the incident in a statement released to TMZ: “On June 8th, Mr. Smith was involved in a car accident that tragically claimed a life. His heart goes out to Ms. Dobbins’ family during this incredibly difficult time. Mr. Smith continues to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation.” The set that Conner Smith played at CMA Fest is the last time that the young country music artist appeared on stage. And now, news is breaking that the 24-year-old is canceling future appearances. One of the shows he had lined up was the Firestone Country Club concert in Akron, Ohio on June 20. He was set to be the headliner for the military appreciation event in Akron, Ohio, and has since been replaced by Frankie Ballard. The Nashville talent agency William Morris Endeavor (WME) said this in a statement that was provided to the tournament in regards to their “A Night In Nashville” concert that honors first responders and veterans: “As Conner Smith takes time to privately process recent events, he will unfortunately not be performing in Akron on June 20. We appreciate your understanding and continued support during this difficult time.” Conner Smith will also be stepping down from his role in the Buckeye Country Superfest that’s taking place on June 21 in Columbus, Ohio. A recent post from the festival stated that Vincent Mason would be stepping in for Conner Smith, who was originally scheduled to play in the 3 p.m. slot at the Ohio Stadium: Pack up the pickup and get ready to Roll See y'all back in The Shoe in just 5 days! Conner Smith will unfortunately not be performing this weekend. Vincent Mason will be joining us at The Shoe in his place. Very limited tickets remain – get yours while you can! pic.twitter.com/HKCRkopHv5 — Buckeye Country Superfest (@buckeye_fest) June 16, 2025 Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the 77-year-old Dorothy Dobbins, who tragically passed away as a result of the accident. Just a terrible situation… and undoubtedly the right move for Conner Smith to be taking a leave of absence away from country music during this time.The post Conner Smith Steps Down From Multiple Concert Appearances Following His Involvement In Fatal Car Accident first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

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