Our government is increasing the use of facial recognition technology...and you SHOULD be concerned. Jeff talks to legal analyst Loretta Powers about the issue as Congress debates getting involved. Click to listen.
Background: As landlords across the country continue to install smart home technology and tenants worry about unchecked surveillance, there's been growing concern about facial recognition arriving at people's doorsteps. Reps. Yvette Clarke, a Democrat from New York; Ayanna Pressley, a Democrat from Massachusetts; and Rashida Tlaib, a Democrat from Michigan, are expected to introduce the No Biometric Barriers to Housing Act this week.The proposed bill would prohibit all public housing units that receive funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development from using technology like facial recognition, according to a person familiar with the legislation. The bill would also require HUD to submit a report on facial recognition, detailing its impact on public housing units and their tenants. This would be the first federal bill that looks at what technology landlords can impose on tenants. While the law would only affect HUD housing, it could raise awareness for a broader set of landlords and tenants, and it comes as people are increasingly questioning the threats to privacy that stem from facial recognition.