Coalition of Organizations Urge Congress to Reconsider Facial Recognition
The Security Industry Association (SIA) — as part of a coalition of organizations and trade associations — has issued a letter to congress outlining its concerns regarding potential bans on public sector uses of facial recognition technology. The letter authors encourage the federal government to collaborate with all stakeholders to address concerns about the use of facial recognition technology and recommend federal leaders provide a consistent set of rules across the United States.
In the Oct. 16 letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), the coalition — which includes SIA, the Airports Council International – North America, the American Association of Airport Executives, the Consumer Technology Association, the Global Business Travel Association, the Identification Technology Association, the Information Biometrics + Identity Association, NetChoice and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce — outlined the history of facial recognition and its prevalent use across various industries, the potential consequences of a moratorium on the technology and recent innovation and work to ethically and responsibly govern the technology.