EPIC Joins BanFacialRecognition Campaign

EPIC joined over 30 organizations calling for lawmakers to ban the government use of facial recognition technology. EPIC has long urged greater scrutiny of facial recognition. In 2016, EPIC led a coalition of 45 organizations calling for Congress to investigate the FBI's facial recognition program. Documents obtained by EPIC in 2017 showed that the Customs and Border Protection system failed to perform at a "satisfactory" level. In comments to CBP and statements to Congress, EPIC has recommended the suspension of facial recognition for identification at the border. Earlier this year, EPIC and others urged lawmakers to halt the use of face recognition technology on the general public. The coalition letter stated, "the use of face recognition technology…poses serious risks to privacy and civil liberties, threatens immigrants, broadly impacts American citizens, and has been implemented without proper safeguards in place or explicit Congressional approval."