Digital Public Square Should your church use facial recognition technology?
You may read that headline and wonder how in the world someone could ask that question when many churches are still not able to meet in person or are having hybrid services to cut down on the spread of COVID-19.
Technologies like facial recognition seem like such a far off dream that you likely haven’t even considered the possibility of using it in your church or ministry.
But in light of the questions concerning regathering together as the church, social distancing, security, health risks, and even new member assimilation, there will be increasing pressure on church leaders to implement these types of tracking tools to keep people safe and connected.
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The Rundown
Uber wins appeal against London ban– The Verge
London’s Uber ban was recently overturned, and the popular ride sharing service was granted a license to operate for the next 18 months. The ruling found that Uber had improved upon some of its practices that prompted the ban in the first place. In a fallen world, the corruption and misuse of services like Uber is far too common, and Christians should be mindful of this reality.
US 2020 election: Social media’s nightmare scenario– BBC
Social media executives, including Mark Zuckerberg, have expressed concern over potential unrest in the aftermath of the election. Because an abnormal amount of votes are expected to be cast by mail due to COVID-19, the time between the closing of the polls and the official announcement of the winner could be a few days or even weeks. While nothing is certain, the concerns expressed by these companies should remind us to use extra care on social media in the coming weeks.
Judge rules TikTok can avoid a ban in the US, for now– CNN
While the deal with ByteDance, Oracle, and Walmart is still shrouded in some uncertainty, a federal judge has issued a temporary block on any government ban of the app from U.S. markets. The recent decision that temporarily protects TikTok from a ban buys the company some more time until the deal is set in stone.
Weeks before election, Facebook shuts down alleged Russian military intelligence operation– CNN
Facebook profiles with direct ties to Russian military personnel were discovered and shut down by the social media company. Tensions on social media are going to continue to grow more and more hostile as we wade deeper into election season. This will make participants on these platforms more susceptible to false information and propaganda that is closely aligned with their political identity.
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Other Resources:
Churches Need to Start Utilizing Facial Recognition Tech – by Christopher Benek