S.T.O.P. Welcomes Dem. Senators’ Facial Rec. Letter

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For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Welcomes Dem. Senators’ Facial Rec. Letter (New York, NY 1/22/2024) – Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy and civil rights group, welcomes a letter sent by a group of Democratic senators, led by Senator Raphael Warnock and Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin, demanding the Department of Justice review and share information on police use of facial recognition and the software’s potential civil rights violations. The letter highlights facial recognition’s disproportionate impact on communities of color and multiple cases of the technology leading to false arrest of Black people. The civil rights group renewed its call for a federal ban on police and government use of facial recognition. SEE: Politico - Washington takes aim at facial recognition https://www.politico.com/news/2024/01/19/washington-takes-aim-at-facial-recognition-00136498 The Hill - Democrats press Justice Department on police use of facial recognition https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4418997-democrats-press-justice-department-police-use-facial-recognition/ “This letter is more urgent than ever as police departments around the country accelerate their deployment of facial recognition,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Communications Director Will Owen. “But we have no doubt this broken, biased software violates civil rights. There is no defending or fixing facial recognition, which is why Congress must go further by banning its use in policing altogether.”  In November, S.T.O.P. welcomed a bill introduced by Sens. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) to end involuntary facial recognition screenings at airports, but also urged Congress to go further and outlaw all facial recognition at airports. In October, S.T.O.P. joined a coalition of civil rights groups in launching a public advocacy campaign to “ban the scan” in New York City, specifically demanding the New York City Council pass two pending bills banning facial recognition and other biometric technologies in residential buildings and public accommodations, such as stores and arenas.  SEE: Press Release - S.T.O.P. Welcomes TSA Facial Recognition Bill, Calls For Full Ban https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2023/11/30/stop-welcomes-tsa-facial-recognition-bill-calls-for-full-ban Press Release - 17 Civil Rights Groups Launch NYC Campaign To Ban Facial Recognition https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2023/10/18/17-civil-rights-groups-launch-nyc-campaign-to-ban-facial-recognition The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider. S.T.O.P. litigates and advocates for privacy, fighting excessive local and state-level surveillance. Our work highlights the discriminatory impact of surveillance on Muslim Americans, immigrants, and communities of color. --END-- CONTACT: S.T.O.P. Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. Copyright © 2021 Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, All rights reserved.