Dear Friend,

People go on OkCupid hoping to find their perfect match.

But online daters are getting more than they bargained for. They and many
other people who have posted pictures online have ended up in a database
used for developing facial recognition software — and the database has
been sold to foreign governments, military operations, and police
departments around the world.^1

The race is on to build the world's most accurate facial recognition
software with databases of millions of pictures — all without our
permission. There is no oversight of how these databases are used, and
they're sold to the highest bidder.

[ [link removed] ]Demand Progress is fighting for our right to privacy and protection
from facial recognition databases. Will you donate to help stop this abuse
of our rights?

OkCupid and social media sites aren't the only sources for these
databases. The New York Times reported that Stanford University used
photos pulled from a security camera in a coffee shop. Duke University did
the same with its on-campus cameras. Microsoft added photos as well —
adding up to tens of millions of photos.^2

And unlike other biometric data, like fingerprints, or personal
information, like social security numbers, private companies building
these databases are doing nothing to protect them — in fact, they’re
selling them for profit.^3 OkCupid's photos ended up in a private facial
recognition firm's database because the founder of the online data site
was an investor.

Even worse, unlike DNA, fingerprints, and other biometric data, there is
no law or state authorization for the collection of the information for
these databases. There is no warrant required, no opting in to having our
photos used — and no opting out, either.^4

These troves of photos are being used to develop surveillance technology
unlike we've ever seen before. With absolutely no regulation, it's
foreseeable that soon every camera we step in front of could be searching
databases for our likeness and identifying where we go and what we’re
doing.

Congress is finally beginning to catch up with the technology and is
questioning how it is used. Republican Rep. Jim Jordan called for an
investigation into why the FBI was given access to DMV databases without
authorization. And Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has sounded the alarm
about the dangers of widespread use of facial recognition technology.

Now is the time to capitalize on the public's attention on facial
recognition technology and call for Congress to put a stop to the reckless
use of our photos.

[ [link removed] ]Will you donate to help stop the runaway train of facial recognition
software?

Thanks for standing with us.

Robert Cruickshank,
Demand Progress

[ [link removed] ]DONATE

Sources:

1. The New York Times, "Facial Recognition Tech Is Growing Stronger,
Thanks to Your Face," [ [link removed] ]July 13, 2019
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. The Washington Post, "FBI, ICE find state driver’s license photos are a
gold mine for facial-recognition searches," [ [link removed] ]July 7, 2019
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