AFP: Congress Should Support the Facial Recognition Technology Warrant Act of 2019

Nov 14, 2019 by AFP

Arlington, VA – Today, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) will introduce The Facial Recognition Technology Warrant Act of 2019, legislation that appropriately restricts the use of facial recognition technology by federal agencies. Americans for Prosperity (AFP) believes there are legitimate and valuable uses for facial recognition technology, but guidelines should exist to protect citizens from harms it presents when utilized by government entities. We oppose any outright ban on the technology.

Americans for Prosperity Senior Policy Analyst Billy Easley issued the following statement:

“Facial recognition technology holds enormous promise for society. Unfortunately, when misused by government, it opens doors for abuse and discrimination against ordinary citizens. The Facial Recognition Technology Warrant Act is a responsible way to deal with the unique harms facial recognition technology presents in the hands of government agencies by placing sensible guardrails to prevent abuse by the state. We’re standing behind this bill because we believe in the appropriate application of facial recognition technology and ensuring it is used for good rather than the mistreatment of Americans.”

Easley recently penned a white paper for the James Madison Institute elaborating on the need for the responsible application of facial recognition technology. Read the full piece here.

Additional resources:

The Great Facial Recognition Technopanic of 2019

Block the misuse of facial recognition, not the tech itself

Should we fear facial recognition?