Let facial recognition cameras on buses have a trial run before opposing | Opinion
An opinion piece in the Kansas City Star argues that facial recognition cameras on buses should be given a trial period before critics push back. The piece frames opposition as premature, suggesting deployment and evaluation should come before public debate.
Why this matters: This argument gets the order backwards. The time to debate a surveillance system is before it goes on buses, not after thousands of commuters have already been scanned. Trial runs create facts on the ground. Once the cameras are up and the contract is signed, opposition becomes much harder. Public transit riders — many of whom have no other way to get around — would have no real choice about being enrolled in a live facial recognition experiment. That is not a trial. That is adoption with a grace period attached.
Who should care: Privacy officers · Cybersecurity · General readers · Policy
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