Amendment Would Overturn Model Facial Recognition Privacy Law
The Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act is one of the strongest facial recognition laws in the country. Enacted in 2008, the law prohibits the use of biometric recognition technologies without consent and provides for meaningful enforcement. But a proposed amendment would undercut legal protections, exempting facial recognition software from the law. A pending lawsuit against Facebook alleges that the company violates the law by amassing a database of users’ faceprints “without even informing its users — let alone obtaining their informed written consent.” EPIC has urged a moratorium for such surveillance techniques, pending the enactment of strong privacy laws such as those in Illinois. In much of the world, facial recognition software is illegal.