EPIC to Massachusetts Legislature: Ban Facial Recognition

October 22, 2019

EPIC Policy Director Caitriona Fitzgerald will testify today before the Massachusetts Legislature in support of a bill to establish a moratorium on the use of facial recognition by state agencies. Under S. 1385 and H. 1538 the use of facial recognition technology by the state would be banned until privacy and security safeguards are in place. EPIC recommended eight principles that must be adhered to prior to deployment of facial recognition technology: 1) prohibition on mass surveillance; 2) provably non-discriminatory; 3) minimal retention; 4) transparency; 5) security; 6) monitoring for inappropriate uses; 7) accountability; and 8) independent auditing. EPIC noted the growing use of facial recognition technology in China and Hong Kong, as well as the bipartisan support for a facial recognition moratorium in Congress.

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