SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
A live demonstration uses artificial intelligence and facial recognition in dense crowd spatial-temporal technology at the Horizon Robotics exhibit at the Las Vegas Convention Center during CES 2019 in Las Vegas on January 10, 2019. (Photo: David McNew/AFP/Getty Images)
30+ Rights Groups Launch Campaign Demanding Law Enforcement Ban on 'Authoritarian and Invasive' Facial Recognition Technology
"We need to ban this technology outright, treat it like biological or nuclear weapons, and prevent it from proliferating before it's too late."
Sep 05, 2019
A diverse coalition of advocacy groups representing more than 15 million people launched a grassroots pressure campaign Thursday calling on local, state, and federal lawmakers to completely ban law enforcement use of facial recognition technology, which the organizations warn is "spreading like an epidemic" and poses a dire threat to fundamental privacy rights.
"Facial recognition is one of the most authoritarian and invasive forms of surveillance ever created," said Evan Greer, deputy director of Fight for the Future (FFTF), which is leading the campaign. "No amount of regulation can fix the dangers inherent in this form of Big Brother automaton. We need to ban this technology outright, treat it like biological or nuclear weapons, and prevent it from proliferating before it's too late."
"We know this technology will expand the reach of the surveillance state while also causing more harm to already vulnerable communities."
--Myaisha Hayes, MediaJustice
According to FFTF, opposition to facial recognition technology is "reaching a boiling point" as over 30 major organizations have backed the new campaign, including United We Dream, Greenpeace USA, RootsAction, and Color of Change.
The organizations plan to flood lawmakers with letters and calls demanding nothing less than a total ban on law enforcement use of facial recognition technology, which is increasingly being put to use by government agencies at major U.S. airports and elsewhere across the nation.
Myaisha Hayes, national organizer on criminal justice and tech at MediaJustice, another group backing the campaign, said in a statement that facial recognition technology disproportionately violates the rights of minority communities.
"Given the history of racist and discriminatory policing, coupled with the horrific deportations we are currently witnessing under this administration," said Hayes, "we know this technology will expand the reach of the surveillance state while also causing more harm to already vulnerable communities."
Echoing Hayes, United We Dream strategy director Adrian Reyna warned use of facial recognition technology by police and border agents puts immigrants in harm's way.
"The Trump administration is carrying out the mass deportation and detention of immigrants," said Reyna. "We have already seen the impact of police and the deportation force unleashed--they are abducting people in their workplaces, in their homes, and keeping entire families in detention indefinitely. Equipping them with facial recognition technology will certainly lead to more raids and further stoke fear among Black and brown communities.
"The use of this equipment is immoral and destructive," Reyna added. "It must be banned nationwide."
The grassroots campaign comes as facial recognition is garnering growing attention at the national level, with Congress holding hearings on the topic and considering bipartisan legislation to limit use of the technology.
Last month, as Common Dreams reported, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) became the first 2020 Democratic presidential candidate to call for a ban on law enforcement use of facial recognition technology as part of his plan to overhaul the U.S. criminal justice system.
"The rapid spread of facial recognition surveillance is one of the most urgent threats to our basic freedom and human rights today," Greer said last month. "Every single 2020 candidate should be calling for a ban on this invasive, biased, and dangerous technology."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
A diverse coalition of advocacy groups representing more than 15 million people launched a grassroots pressure campaign Thursday calling on local, state, and federal lawmakers to completely ban law enforcement use of facial recognition technology, which the organizations warn is "spreading like an epidemic" and poses a dire threat to fundamental privacy rights.
"Facial recognition is one of the most authoritarian and invasive forms of surveillance ever created," said Evan Greer, deputy director of Fight for the Future (FFTF), which is leading the campaign. "No amount of regulation can fix the dangers inherent in this form of Big Brother automaton. We need to ban this technology outright, treat it like biological or nuclear weapons, and prevent it from proliferating before it's too late."
"We know this technology will expand the reach of the surveillance state while also causing more harm to already vulnerable communities."
--Myaisha Hayes, MediaJustice
According to FFTF, opposition to facial recognition technology is "reaching a boiling point" as over 30 major organizations have backed the new campaign, including United We Dream, Greenpeace USA, RootsAction, and Color of Change.
The organizations plan to flood lawmakers with letters and calls demanding nothing less than a total ban on law enforcement use of facial recognition technology, which is increasingly being put to use by government agencies at major U.S. airports and elsewhere across the nation.
Myaisha Hayes, national organizer on criminal justice and tech at MediaJustice, another group backing the campaign, said in a statement that facial recognition technology disproportionately violates the rights of minority communities.
"Given the history of racist and discriminatory policing, coupled with the horrific deportations we are currently witnessing under this administration," said Hayes, "we know this technology will expand the reach of the surveillance state while also causing more harm to already vulnerable communities."
Echoing Hayes, United We Dream strategy director Adrian Reyna warned use of facial recognition technology by police and border agents puts immigrants in harm's way.
"The Trump administration is carrying out the mass deportation and detention of immigrants," said Reyna. "We have already seen the impact of police and the deportation force unleashed--they are abducting people in their workplaces, in their homes, and keeping entire families in detention indefinitely. Equipping them with facial recognition technology will certainly lead to more raids and further stoke fear among Black and brown communities.
"The use of this equipment is immoral and destructive," Reyna added. "It must be banned nationwide."
The grassroots campaign comes as facial recognition is garnering growing attention at the national level, with Congress holding hearings on the topic and considering bipartisan legislation to limit use of the technology.
Last month, as Common Dreams reported, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) became the first 2020 Democratic presidential candidate to call for a ban on law enforcement use of facial recognition technology as part of his plan to overhaul the U.S. criminal justice system.
"The rapid spread of facial recognition surveillance is one of the most urgent threats to our basic freedom and human rights today," Greer said last month. "Every single 2020 candidate should be calling for a ban on this invasive, biased, and dangerous technology."
A diverse coalition of advocacy groups representing more than 15 million people launched a grassroots pressure campaign Thursday calling on local, state, and federal lawmakers to completely ban law enforcement use of facial recognition technology, which the organizations warn is "spreading like an epidemic" and poses a dire threat to fundamental privacy rights.
"Facial recognition is one of the most authoritarian and invasive forms of surveillance ever created," said Evan Greer, deputy director of Fight for the Future (FFTF), which is leading the campaign. "No amount of regulation can fix the dangers inherent in this form of Big Brother automaton. We need to ban this technology outright, treat it like biological or nuclear weapons, and prevent it from proliferating before it's too late."
"We know this technology will expand the reach of the surveillance state while also causing more harm to already vulnerable communities."
--Myaisha Hayes, MediaJustice
According to FFTF, opposition to facial recognition technology is "reaching a boiling point" as over 30 major organizations have backed the new campaign, including United We Dream, Greenpeace USA, RootsAction, and Color of Change.
The organizations plan to flood lawmakers with letters and calls demanding nothing less than a total ban on law enforcement use of facial recognition technology, which is increasingly being put to use by government agencies at major U.S. airports and elsewhere across the nation.
Myaisha Hayes, national organizer on criminal justice and tech at MediaJustice, another group backing the campaign, said in a statement that facial recognition technology disproportionately violates the rights of minority communities.
"Given the history of racist and discriminatory policing, coupled with the horrific deportations we are currently witnessing under this administration," said Hayes, "we know this technology will expand the reach of the surveillance state while also causing more harm to already vulnerable communities."
Echoing Hayes, United We Dream strategy director Adrian Reyna warned use of facial recognition technology by police and border agents puts immigrants in harm's way.
"The Trump administration is carrying out the mass deportation and detention of immigrants," said Reyna. "We have already seen the impact of police and the deportation force unleashed--they are abducting people in their workplaces, in their homes, and keeping entire families in detention indefinitely. Equipping them with facial recognition technology will certainly lead to more raids and further stoke fear among Black and brown communities.
"The use of this equipment is immoral and destructive," Reyna added. "It must be banned nationwide."
The grassroots campaign comes as facial recognition is garnering growing attention at the national level, with Congress holding hearings on the topic and considering bipartisan legislation to limit use of the technology.
Last month, as Common Dreams reported, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) became the first 2020 Democratic presidential candidate to call for a ban on law enforcement use of facial recognition technology as part of his plan to overhaul the U.S. criminal justice system.
"The rapid spread of facial recognition surveillance is one of the most urgent threats to our basic freedom and human rights today," Greer said last month. "Every single 2020 candidate should be calling for a ban on this invasive, biased, and dangerous technology."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.