EPIC, Coalition Urge New York Lawmakers to Pass Biometric Recognition Bans

In a letter to the New York Senate and Assembly, EPIC and a coalition of civil society groups urged lawmakers to pass a package of four bills limiting the use of biometric recognition technologies including facial recognition. The letter emphasized the harms of facial recognition technology including bias, over-policing, wrongful arrests, and disparate impacts on marginalized communities. The bills are:

Law Enforcement Biometrics Ban (S.1609 Hoylman-Sigal/A.1891 Glick)

Residential Facial Recognition Ban (S.2478 Hoylman-Sigal/A.322 Walker)

Public Accommodations Biometrics Ban (S.7135 Hoylman-Sigal/A.7625 Simone)

School Biometrics Ban (S.7944 Hoylman-Sigal/A.8853 Wallace)

Yesterday, EPIC and a coalition of groups urged Congress to pause TSA’s use of facial recognition at aiport security checkpoints. EPIC has called on New York City Council to ban facial recognition in a coalition letter and testified in support of bans on facial recognition in public accommodations and housing. New York’s legislature recently prohibited the MTA from using facial recognition to enforce fare evasion on NYC’s subways.