What to know about the KCATA facial recognition plan on public buses | Porter
The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority is reportedly planning to deploy facial recognition technology on public buses. The proposal would subject transit riders to biometric surveillance as a condition of using public transportation.
Why this matters: Public transit is not optional for a lot of people. If you depend on a bus to get to work, you cannot opt out of being scanned. That is a meaningful difference from surveillance in a store or an app. Facial recognition on buses means the government can build a detailed picture of where you go, when, and how often — without ever charging you with anything. Transit agencies are not police departments. The bar for this kind of surveillance should be high, and the public should know what data is kept, who can access it, and how long it lives.
Who should care: Privacy officers · Cybersecurity · General readers · Policy
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