John,
The NBA has acted to protect fans, players, and staff during a global pandemic this season.1
But now is when we find out if they really care about safety: as the league discusses bringing fans back to games for next season, facial recognition companies are pushing their dangerous tech for use in arenas.2 This is a huge threat, especially since the NBA has already shown interest in using facial recognition: the league tested out Clearview’s app, and some teams and arenas have already used the technology.3,4,5
Facial recognition companies are pushing their product in any way they can, including taking advantage of COVID-19 to suggest their “touch free” products can “safely” bring people together.
We cannot stress this enough: facial recognition is not safe. And if the NBA decides to use this tech in their arenas it could open the door to its use on millions of people in other settings.
Tell the NBA: Ban facial recognition from arenas!
TAKE ACTION
Installing facial recognition in arenas will create a surveillance system that will track hundreds of thousands of people who may attend NBA games. The system would collect massive amounts of biometric data on sports fans, which would become a target for hackers and people wanting to harm others.
NBA players and teams have used their platforms this year to highlight injustices in our country. If they want to continue to stand against racial violence they must denounce facial recognition, which is well-known for its inability to correctly identify people of color, as well as women, transgender people, and children.
The bottom line is that there are no real positives to installing facial recognition, no matter what the tech companies sales pitches say. And even if you don’t watch basketball or attend games, a move like this would help normalize facial recognition across our society and speed up its adoption in stores, schools, transportation, and other public places.
This technology is dangerous and the NBA should make a real commitment to safety by banning facial recognition now.
Together, and against facial recognition,
Caitlin at Fight for the Future
Footnotes:
1. GQ: https://www.gq.com/story/keeping-covid-outside-the-nba-bubble-truehoop
2. Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/articles/facial-recognitions-next-big-play-the-sports-stadium-11596290400
3. Buzzfeed News: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/clearview-ai-fbi-ice-global-law-enforcement
4. NY Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/13/sports/facial-recognition-madison-square-garden.html
5. Twitter: https://twitter.com/dallasmavs/status/914208001795469312?lang=en
Fight for the Future works to protect your rights in the digital age.
