Recognizing the Threats: Congress Must Impose a Moratorium on Law enforcement Use of Facial Recognition Tech
Type
Policy Brief or Report
Year
2021
Level
National
State(s)
All States
Policy Areas
Civil Rights, Data & Technology
Law and immigration enforcement’s use of facial recognition technology presents many harmful consequences: it permits invasive tracking and targeting that threatens individual privacy, prevents First Amendment activities (i.e. political protests and religious activities), relies on faceprints obtained without consent, and exacerbates the disproportionate harms faced by Black and Brown communities that are already subject to over policing. This report calls for Congress to enact the Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act, which prohibits federal government acquisition and use of biometric technologies including facial recognition, with an exception for situations in which Congress has enacted a specific and robust set of safeguards. Until Congress implements guardrails to address the harms that use of facial recognition can cause, federal law enforcement and immigration agencies should cease all use of the technology.