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Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello (above far right) and Zack de la Roche (center left) are among the artists pushing to boycott venues that employ facial recognition technology.
Four years ago, Morello raised concerns about the implementation of facial recognition technology to aid security at concert venues. But over the years the use has expanded.
A petition is being circulated calling for an end the practice for the following reasons:
1. It exacerbates discrimination. The petition alleges that “facial recognition enables stores, businesses, and law enforcement to track and target specific individuals and communities with absolutely no oversight or accountability.
2. It chills free speech. The petition notes that police have already used facial recognition to identify and target people.
3. It’s not secure. The petition suggests that once biometric information is collected and stored in databases, it’s an easy target for identity thieves or state-sponsored hackers.
4. It doesn’t work. The petition claims that facial recognition programs identify the wrong person up to 98% of the time.
