John,

UUUGGGGHHHHH - I’m super frustrated.

Every day there are more stories about how companies have decided to expand facial recognition to track employees and create massive surveillance systems that target the general public. This surveillance is dangerous and disgusting.

But honestly, the thing that helps me not totally lose it when I see these stories is that Fight for the Future—and a number of other amazing groups we partner with—are fighting to stop the spread of this abhorrent technology. And we’ve had some huge victories banning facial recognition in a bunch of states.

Can you chip in right now to support our campaign to ban facial recognition surveillance everywhere?

CHIP IN

I’ll share just a few examples that have come up this week:

Amazon is requiring delivery drivers to consent to AI surveillance—including facial identification—or else they lose their jobs.¹ This is not only an invasion of privacy, but also creates situations ripe for harassment and can put drivers in danger, especially when the AI systems are wrong.
Apple has banned facial scans for employees visiting manufacturing sites, but the ban does not apply to more than 1 million factory workers.² And the company is even INCREASING the use of surveillance cameras on factory workers. This policy shows that Apple knows facial recognition surveillance is dangerous, but that the company cares more for the upper level employees than its marginalized factory workers.
And if that all isn’t enough, there have also been stories about how Disney is testing facial recognition at the entrance to the Magical Kingdom, and a new Clearview-eque website is using facial recognition to find pictures of anyone online.^3,4

These examples are seemingly endless. And without action, this list will grow.

But the good news is that people are taking action. More and more organizations are working to fight facial recognition technology, people are calling on decision makers to take action, and cities continue to ban this technology—Minneapolis already did this year and more cities are considering bans.⁵

Our movement is growing, but we’ve got to keep the pressure up because the tech industry is expanding facial recognition as quickly as it can.

If you can, please make a donation today to help stop this flood of facial recognition and protect workers and all people from invasive surveillance.

Together,

Caitlin at Fight for the Future

Footnotes:

1. The Verge: https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/24/22347945/amazon-delivery-drivers-ai-surveillance-cameras-vans-consent-form

2. Cnet: https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-reportedly-bans-facial-scans-of-employees-but-not-factory-workers/

3. USA Today: https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/experience/america/theme-parks/2021/03/23/disney-tests-optional-facial-recognition-entry-magic-kingdom/6966242002/

4. The Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/pimeyes-facial-recognition-privacy-b1821658.html

5. The Verge: https://www.theverge.com/2021/2/13/22281523/minneapolis-prohibits-facial-recognition-software-police-privacy

Fight for the Future works to protect your rights in the digital age.