Facial Recognition Tech: Are Total Bans the Best Move?

New York City may be the next city to enact a total ban on facial recognition technology.

The technology, which uses surveillance cameras to identify people in public, has been garnering headlines for years, but there are few regulations on how it can be used. Some cities have taken action by enacting partial bans or moratoriums. One city, Portland, Oregon, has a total ban.

A bill introduced in the the New York City Council would make it illegal for private businesses to use face scans to identify customers. This move comes after venues controlled by James Dolan's company, including Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, and the Beacon Theater, denied entrance to ticket buying patrons who happened to be lawyers who worked at law firms involved in litigation against Dolan's company.

Is an all-out ban the best response to this technology? Are there less restrictive rules that could allow uses that benefit society, or is this technology such a threat to privacy and civil liberties that bans are the best option?

On this episode of On The Merits, we look at how to regulate this emerging technology. We hear from tech execs, a city administrator, a law professor, and a privacy advocate.

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