Recently, U.S. cities like San Francisco and Oakland in California, along with Somerville, Massachusetts, have banned the use of biometrics in the form of facial recognition by police and other city agencies.
Why? The term “facial recognition” often evokes a negative reaction among the public, with many citizens equating it with a “surveillance state.”1 Additionally, the Transportation Security Administration recently announced its plans to roll out facial recognition to a broader number of U.S. airports, promising to bring both higher levels of security and convenience to passenger screening (one of the most stressful and time-consuming parts of air travel). While some news outlets applauded this announcement, others like the Washington Post raised skepticism and encouraged people to know their rights.2 And despite increasing incidents of school shootings that have rattled the United States, even some school districts implementing the technology are being challenged.3
