John,
Last week, a New York Times article exposed a new app called Clearview: a secretive facial recognition program that scrapes images from Facebook, YouTube, Venmo and other sites. Already it has more than 3 billion images, and it’s already being used by more than 600 law enforcement agencies across the country.1
This app goes beyond what government agencies or Silicon Valley giants have been willing to create, and it is exactly why we must ban government and law enforcement use of facial recognition immediately.
Sign the petition: Ban facial recognition now!
TAKE ACTION
After the story broke, more information about Clearview started to emerge, including that rogue New York Police Department cops are using the app, even though their own facial recognition unit isn’t using it (due to security concerns).2
The functionality of this app is an abuse of power, since it allows police to use it on people who haven’t committed and aren’t suspects in a crime.
While the app isn’t publicly available yet, it’s only a matter of time before Clearview (or a similar program) is accessible to everyone. And then, anyone walking down the street can snap a picture of you, run it through the program, and know who you are and personal details that they could use to stalk and harm you.
We need to ban facial recognition in order to stop apps like Clearview from putting our privacy and safety in danger.
Right now, there are no federal laws governing facial recognition, so this technology isn’t illegal. And unless we stop it, it’s going to grow and spread.
That’s why we’re attacking facial recognition from many angles—pushing for federal, state, and local bans, and fighting its presence in schools, music festivals, and more.
Public outcry over Clearview has been swift, which means this is a big moment for us to make our demands heard. Already, the New Jersey Attorney General banned the state police from using Clearview.3
With a lot of public and political attention on this dangerous facial recognition app, we can show why facial recognition is too dangerous, and must be banned. Take a minute to sign the petition and demand a ban on facial recognition.
Together,
Caitlin at Fight for the Future
Footnotes:
1. New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/18/technology/clearview-privacy-facial-recognition.html
2. NY Post: https://nypost.com/2020/01/23/rogue-nypd-cops-are-using-sketchy-facial-recognition-app-clearview/
3. New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/24/technology/clearview-ai-new-jersey.html
Fight for the Future works to protect your rights in the digital age.
