Facewatch and ACS welcome new rules on facial recognition technology
Facial recognition firms Facewatch and ACS have publicly welcomed new regulatory rules governing facial recognition technology. The companies' support suggests the rules may formalize or legitimize existing commercial uses of the technology.
Why this matters: When surveillance companies cheer new regulations, that is worth a second look. Rules that industry welcomes tend to lock in what already exists rather than push back against it. Facewatch sells facial recognition to retailers. If the new framework blesses that kind of live scanning of ordinary shoppers, it matters to anyone who walks into a store without knowing their face is being checked against a database. Approval from the regulated is not the same as protection for the people being watched.
Who should care: Lawyers · Compliance · Privacy officers · Cybersecurity · General readers · Policy
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