Thread by @evan_greer

THREAD: I'll be following along with the House Judiciary Committee hearing on #facialrecognition today: judiciary.house.gov/calendar/event…

Will be on the lookout for lawmakers parroting talking points fed to them by tech industry lobbyists and law enforcement shills. #BanFacialRecognition

Only a few minutes into the hearing and we've already heard a ton of excuses for why lawmakers aren't just moving quickly to ban this technology. The language they're using around "oversight" & "regulatory frameworks" fed to them directly from tech lobbyists opposing moratorium

Good to hear @RepJerryNadler acknowledge the harm of private use of facial recognition as well as government / law enforcement use. @fightfortheftr supports a ban on the vast majority of private use of facial recognition: fightforthefuture.org/news/2021-03-1…

Oops and then @RepJerryNadler just said that "facial recognition can be an important crime fighting tool." right after he explained how it's fundamentally racist. bad look Jerry

Jim Jordan saying he hopes there can be some common ground / bipartisanship here. I hope so too. If Republicans like Jordan are serious about preventing the Federal government from abusing #facialrecognition, they should get on board with the Biometric Technology Moratorium Act

Jim Jordan acknowledging the GAO report shows that tons of federal agencies are using #facialrecognition without having even basic policies in place on how they use it, & many don't even know what they're using.

But doesn't say whether he'll support the bill that would stop that

Very glad to see that Robert Williams, who was falsely arrested after being misidentified by a racist facial recognition system is testifying at today's #HouseJudiciary hearing on #FacialRecognition. We need to hear from more ppl who have been impacted by this discriminatory tech

First witness up is Gretta Goodwin from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Their report basically showed that tons of law enforcement agencies across the US are using facial recognition tech with essentially zero oversight or accountability. cyberscoop.com/gao-federal-fa…

GAO witness notes that the FBI used #facialrecognition on photos and video of the Capitol riot. I'm expecting to hear more about this from Democrats who are looking for an excuse to not support the common sense moratorium legislation. That's some BS fastcompany.com/90592060/capit…

A lot of the statements and testimony so far focuses on the "accuracy" of #facialrecognition systems. It's crucial to understand that facial recognition will still be racist and oppressive once algorithms improve. It automates and exacerbates existing discrimination in policing

Up next is a professor who keeps stressing how closely he works with law enforcement agencies. So far basically calling for more oversight.

Also I am very curious about this artwork behind him??

Professor Barry Friedman (who again, openly stresses his close ties to law enforcement) falsely claiming that facial recognition can be effectively "regulated." Here's why that's wrong: buzzfeednews.com/article/evangr…

Now up Robert Williams, describing his horrifying experience being falsely arrested in front of his wife and children because of Detroit police use of racist facial recognition technology. Cops didn't even tell him what he was being arrested for when they handcuffed him.

Robert Williams spent 30 hours in jail after being arrested in front of his wife and children for a crime he did not commit.

#FacialRecognition is doing harm right now. How many others has this happened to? How many people are sitting in jail because of this tech right now?

"I guess the computer got it wrong," police told Robert Williams after it became clear that he had been falsely arrested.

Then they sent him back to his cell for hours before they let him go.

Policing in the US is racist. #FacialRecognition automates that racism.

Now up Bertram Lee Jr of @civilrightsorg, who importantly notes that the bias built into #facialrecognition is "inherent" and that Black people are disproportionately represented in databases used for this type of surveillance. Even if the tech improves: the issues remain. YES.

Excellent testimony from Bertram Lee Jr of @civilrightsorg: even if algorithms improve, this is technology that allows governments to track people's movements and associations at a mass scale. It's fundamentally incompatible with human rights.

.@civilrightsorg clearly and powerfully calls for a ban on #facialrecognition, joining dozens of other organizations who have called for a ban: BanFacialRecognition.com

Current witness, i missed her name, doing a good job explaining how facial recognition will interact with and exponentially magnify the harm of the rest of the surveillance state, leading to self-censorship and massive chilling of civil liberties and freedom of expression

Ah, that was @karaafrederick of @Heritage. a good reminder that there is grassroots support from across the political spectrum for reining in law enforcement use of biometric surveillance

https://twitter.com/ClareAngelyn/status/1414961718254526476

"Like biological or nuclear weapons, facial recognition poses such a profound threat to the future of humanity and our basic rights that any potential benefits are far outweighed by the inevitable harms." leaps.org/the-case-for-a…

Professor Jennifer Laurin more or less explained how the legal system is currently stacked against defendants and in favor of cops, and is ill equipped to do anything to address the harm that will be done by inevitable law enforcement misuse of #facialrecognition.

and now this guy from a "conservative" anti-crime organization is fearmongering about "terrorists loose in our cities" in order to argue for some weak regulatory framework instead of a ban

Every witness who is opposing a ban basically lists off a ton of reasons why we should never trust cops to use #facialrecognition responsibly and then says we should pass laws that would basically mean we have to trust cops to use this technology responsibly. Makes zero sense.

It's hard to overstate just how terrifying a technology has to be for law enforcement shills to acknowledge that it can be "easily abused." These folks never met an expansion of surveillance they didn't like. This should be raising alarm bells for lawmakers. #BanFacialRecognition

"facial recognition becoming more accurate doesn't make it less of a threat to human rights. This technology is dangerous when it's broken, but at a mass scale, it's even more dangerous when it works." leaps.org/the-case-for-a…

Robert Williams describing the routine brutality of the US justice system. Cops wouldn't tell his wife where he was or whether he was okay when she called, kept hanging up on her. His kids didn't know if he was coming home and are traumatized now. #facialrecognition hearing

This guy (who is about to get eaten by a painting of a monster that maybe his kids drew?) is very sure that we can address the harm of facial recognition just by requiring surveillance vendors to "self regulate" and i would laugh if i didn't worry lawmakers are prob nodding along

No. No amount of additional training or certification will change the fact that #facialrecognition technology is fundamentally incompatible with basic human rights, or the fact that it automates and speeds up policing, in a system where we know policing is already discriminatory.

.@RepAndyBiggsAZ raising concerns about impact on constitutional rights, asking about the privacy implications of corporate vendors engaged in #facialrecognition.

But... is he gonna support the Biometric Technology Moratorium Act that would actually do something about this?

.Bertram Lee Jr of @civilrightsorg reiterates to @RepAndyBiggsAZ that they are calling for a ban or moratorium on #facialrecognition.

Fortunately, there's a bill from @AyannaPressley & co that would do just that, we just need lawmakers to get on board & move it fwd. Let's go!

Professor Laurin says that the ability for defendants to challenge use of #facialrecognition in courts is "practically nonexistent."

.@RepJerryNadler asks Bertram Lee Jr of @civilrightsorg if they'd support regulations. Once again he clearly states that we need ned a BAN or moratorium in order to prevent additional harm to communities that are already over policed and over-surveilled.

So, will @HouseJudiciary Dems support the Biometric Technology Moratorium Act, introduced by @AyannaPressley and @EdMarkey? Or is this whole hearing just for show?

https://twitter.com/HouseJudiciary/status/1414948979243163659

.@RepKarenBass asking a few kind of disappointing questions sort of showing she hasn't done the homework. #FacialRecognition is dangerous whether it's being used as an investigative tool or to make an actual arrest, and yes, it works "better" on white men.

.@RepKarenBass just interrupted Robert Williams who was trying to explain to her why distinction she is trying to draw between #facialrecognition being used for "investigation" not "arrest" is totally bogus. Really disappointing, Rep Bass. Listen to @civilrightsorg & others plz

Jim Jordan talking about his broad concern about #facialrecognition and the surveillance state generally. Calling for bipartisanship.

So, let's see some! Support the moratorium bill and stop the use of this surveillance tech now so we can have a real debate @Jim_Jordan

This line of questioning is silly. #FacialRecognition is primarily used to generate leads for an investigation. That's a problem even if the algorithms improve because law enforcement usually use this tech to scan through mug shot databases, disproportionately full of Black men.

It's so clear how lawmakers are drawn toward "regulation" of #facialrecognition but it's so important to say again and again that THIS IS WHAT BIG TECH COMPANIES LIKE AMAZON AND MICROSOFT ARE CALLING FOR.

They want to see regulation cuz they know it speeds up adoption.

Heartbreaking testimony from Robert Williams, talking about how his daughter gets re-traumautized every time there's a story on the news about how he was falsely arrested due to use of #facialrecognition.

He spent the night in a cell with no food or water. #BanFacialRecognition

folks will prob rag him for it but @RepThomasMassie is absolutely right about how the government's background check system for firearms disproportionately falsely rejects people of color. And the analog is clear that #facialrecognition will do the same, even if algorithms improve

Rep @tedlieu frustratingly claims that you "can't ban technology."

But... you can. Your local police department can't go buy nuclear weapons. Cuz there's a law against it.

See also: lead paint, biological weapons, etc etc

Pass the moratorium. Stop messing around.

A "warrant requirement" is largely meaningless in terms of preventing harm from #facialrecognition. It utterly misunderstands the way that police actually use this tech. That's why there's consensus from civil rights organizations that this surveillance tech should be banned

honestly how hard would it be for Congress to add title cards to these livestreams so we know who is talking? Am i supposed to remember the names of all the old white dudes in Congress? c'mon

Rep @CoriBush: "What we do know about this technology is that the darker your skin tone (like mine) the more likely you are to be misidentified."

Talks about wearing a bandana during #BlackLivesMatter protests out of concern police were using #facialrecognition. Powerful.

Rep @CoriBush going hard, asking GAO "yes or no" was #facialrecognition used on racial justice protesters after the torture and murder of George Floyd.

Asking if there are protections for protesters engaging in 1st Amendment activity. (There are not, til Congress passes a ban.)

Bertram Lee Jr of @civilrightsorg tells @CoriBush about the serious First Amendment concerns raised by police using #facialrecognition on footage collected by Amazon Ring cameras to surveil #BlackLivesMatter protesters.

Rep @JacksonLeeTX18 asks some excellent questions about the total lack of oversight and accountability with more than 18,000 police departments using #facialrecognition, but then frustratingly turns toward flimsy transparency fixes and evidentiary rules. We need a ban.

Why is @JacksonLeeTX18 basically already saying that the Judiciary Committee is not going to move toward a moratorium or ban?

Anything less means there will be more people experiencing the trauma that Robert Williams and his family experienced.

Regulation won't work.

Okay and now the hearing is adjourned. Lawmakers said a lot of great stuff and asked a lot of great questions, but it's pretty disappointing that not a single one expressed their support for the Biometric Technology Moratorium Act, which would pause use of this racist tech.

Dozens of civil rights, civil liberties, human rights, LGBTQ+, racial justice, immigration, and legal defense organizations have called on lawmakers to #BanFacialRecognition and pass the Biometric Technology Moratorium Act

Learn more and take action here BanFacialRecognition.com