Californians: It’s time to speak out against government use of face surveillance. While several California cities have banned government use of face recognition technology, state lawmakers haven’t taken the same approach. A new bill this session, A.B. 642—authored by Assemblymember Phil Ting—would normalize and incentivize police use of this technology across the state.
EFF opposes this bill, along with more than 50 organizations including ACLU California Action. Together, we have called on the Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee to stop it from moving forward. Join us in saying California should not normalize government use of face recognition technology.
Oppose Face Surveillance in California
In the hands of police and other government agencies, face recognition technology presents an inherent threat to our privacy, free expression, information security, and social justice. Our faces are unique identifiers that can’t be left at home or replaced like a stolen ID or compromised password. The technology facilitates covert mass surveillance of the places we frequent and people we associate with. Government agencies even plan to use it to try to determine our emotional state.
Face recognition technology also disproportionately impacts people of color. The New York Times published a long piece on the case of Robert Julian-Borchak Williams, who was arrested by Detroit police after face recognition technology erroneously identified him as a suspect in a theft case. Williams and multiple other Black men (Michael Oliver, Nijeer Parks, Randal Reid, and Alanzo Sawyer) have garnered the attention of national media after face recognition technology led to them being falsely arrested by police.
For all these reasons, we should ban law enforcement use of face surveillance. Yet, rather than aligning with the civil rights community and emerging national best practice, A.B. 642 grants law enforcement agencies sweeping statutory authority to use face recognition technology to identify and track people across the state.
There should be no government use of face surveillance. California certainly should not normalize it. If you’re a California resident, tell the Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee to stand against this dangerous bill.
Oppose Face Surveillance in California
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading nonprofit organization defending civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF champions user privacy, free expression, and innovation through impact litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism, and technology development. We work to ensure that rights and freedoms are enhanced and protected as our use of technology grows. Visit https://www.eff.org