Facial Recognition Software is intrusive to citizen’s privacy rights and freedoms. With the software being so new there aren’t enough restrictions to protect us. The problem is getting bigger and nothing is being done about it because not enough people know about it. More and more faces are being registered into databases without people even knowing. The average person might wonder why facial recognition software might affect them. The problem is bigger than just the government trying to catch some lowkey criminals, it’s about the right to privacy whether they are in public or in their own space.
In today’s day in age it is hard to go through a day without using technology or even a camera specifically. They have become a major part of our everyday lives for things as simple as unlocking your smartphone. Having cameras is a good thing until it turns into a bad thing. In China there are cameras just about everywhere and it is honestly terrifying. With their advancements they are even starting to flag people who look suspicious based on their behavior and whereabouts. With this many cameras China is now known as a prison in some places and everyone including neighbors and children must comply with their rules as well as enforce them to others. It seems like it would take a lot for the United States to get this extreme but with the rapid rate cameras are being put up, nothing is impossible.
The amount of new faces being put into databases daily is getting out of control and something needs to be done about it. San Francisco took care of the problem and added a ban to facial recognition software to avoid anything going too far. The citizens expressed their discomfort with being watched by cameras without their knowledge and declared it was a violation of their first amendment rights. The ban in a major technologically advanced city like San Fran shows how serious this problem is becoming. Other cities and states should look into restricting access or banning facial recognition software all together.