policed. Several cities have already banned the use of this invasive and discriminatory technology by local authorities. We’re incredibly grateful to Senators Markey and Merkley and Representatives Jayapal and Pressley for raising concerns at the federal level,” said Sandra Fulton, Government Relations Director for Free Press Action. “Law enforcement’s use of biometric surveillance exacerbates racial biases in our justice system and inflicts harm on Black people,” said Arisha Hatch, Vice President of Color Of Change. “For too long, mass surveillance and the infringement of civil rights have been used to destabilize and exploit Black communities. Biometric technologies are built on these racist law enforcement practices, invasions of privacy, and algorithms that only provide people with the tools to escalate state violence against Black people. Facial recognition surveillance cannot be reformed — the technologies that amplify racism must be banned. Color Of Change commends Senator Markey and Representative Jayapal for taking swift action in prohibiting facial recognition technology and will continue to support legislation that ensures racist mass surveillance practices are ended.” “Face surveillance technology is so harmful to our safety and privacy, and so discriminatory, that government must not use it at all,” said India McKinney, Director of Federal Affairs at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. “We thank the authors of this bill for their leadership in ending the
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“Facial recognition exponentially amplifies the brutality and injustice of policing in the United States. This is a technology that is fundamentally incompatible with basic liberty and human rights. It’s more like nuclear weapons than alcohol or cigarettes –– it can’t be effectively regulated, it must be banned entirely. Silicon Valley lobbyists are already pushing for weak regulations in the hopes that they can continue selling this dangerous and racist technology to law enforcement. But experts and advocates won’t be fooled,” said Evan Greer (she/ her), Director of Fight for the Future. “Any lawmaker who fails to support this moratorium legislation, to at least put a pause on the spread of this technology while we have a conversation about its impact on our society, is actively supporting the erosion of our basic human and constitutional rights.” “Facial-recognition technology has spread more rapidly than our ability to keep its abuses in check. Study after study have exposed the systemic racism that’s baked into the DNA of its algorithms. Its continued use poses a serious threat to communities of color and activists, allowing law enforcement to monitor individuals without their knowledge or consent; even if the tech worked properly it would disproportionately impact Black and Brown people, who are already over-
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The Business Review | July 2021
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