*Featured Cover Image Courtesy: Ban Facial Recognition
Nationwide, there are over 100 artists and venues that are teaming up in their goal to ban facial recognition at festivals, shows, concerts, and various music events. The news came after the Madison Square Garden began using facial recognition technology to identify lawyers working for law firms currently engaged in litigation against the company. By doing this, MSG can ban those lawyers from attending any events in the famous arena.
On top of that, Ticketmaster has partnered with facial recognition company Wicket to begin using biometrics at stadiums and venues. Meanwhile, AEG Presents has tried to introduce biometric palm scanning as a ticketing option in Colorado. As a result, artists and venue came to agree that having facial recognition for event entry will make things unsafe and uncomfortable for fans who want to enjoy their afternoon or evening listening to great music.
“Ban Facial Recognition” movement gaining support
The “Ban Facial Recognition” movement has top music acts amongst its ranks. Names such as Tom Morello, Anti-Flag, Wheatus, and Zack De La Rocha to help spread the word about the dangers of facial recognition at events. Furthermore, the use of facial recognition has been argued to be very discriminatory towards people of minority background who had been falsely arrested or ejected from venues from public places.
Regarding the technology behind facial recognition, it utilizes biometric information to identify event participants. After collecting the biometric information, that information goes to a database and it sometimes falls into misuse. Additionally, hackers have seen facial recognition technology as a “valuable” tool to gather sensitive, personal data of millions of people worldwide.
A coalition to end facial recognition use at all venues
Due to the strong coalition to end facial recognition use, festivals such as Bonnaroo and Coachella have stated that they will not use facial recognition technology on festival grounds. The use of facial recognition technology is not always reliable. For example, according to CNET, facial recognition software has found to be “98% inaccurate” in the cases investigated by London’s Metropolitan Police.
One significant argument against facial recognition technology is that it can definitely infringes on the privacy and free speech rights of anyone who wants to express their opinions. For anyone who wants to help ban facial recognition at music festivals, they can go on Action Network and sign this petition. In the end, everyone deserves the freedom to enjoy their favorite music without having to fear about technology compromising their security.
