Ban Facial Recognition in Schools

The world’s most dangerous surveillance technology is invading our schools and putting kids at risk across the country.

In recent years school systems have been quietly introducing unethical experiments with facial recognition software, using it to scan, analyze, and collect sensitive biometric information on tens of thousands of students, parents, teachers, and staff.

No matter the form, whether it’s creepily watching students in class, tracking attendance, or monitoring hallways, facial recognition is invasive, biased, and puts people’s most sensitive data at risk of being abused or stolen. It simply does not belong anywhere near school campuses.

In fact, face scanning tech is so dangerous that New York state decided to ban its use in schools last year. 

Now we need other states and the Department of Education to follow suit by taking a strong stand against facial recognition. Sign the letter below to keep facial recognition out of schools.

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Testimonials

How does facial recognition make
schools LESS safe?

It’s Biased:

Studies have repeatedly shown that facial recognition programs systematically misidentify or fail to identify people of color, women, children, and nonbinary people––basically anyone who isn’t a white man. These errors have real-world impacts, including harassment and wrongful arrests –– events that can forever change the course of someone’s life.

It feeds systemic discrimination:

This technology will supercharge the discrimination and harassment that students of color and students with disabilities already face, further exacerbating the school-to-prison pipeline

It creates a chilling effect:

Research shows that people are less likely to participate in political protests and political events if they know they will be identified. What will 24/7 surveillance mean for young people who are navigating one of the most formative periods of their lives and need to feel safe exploring their political views and identities?

It’s not secure or trustworthy:

Even the most ‘secure’ cloud databases are vulnerable to attacks by hackers and abuse by law enforcement agencies, meaning there is simply no way to guarantee the safety of mass amounts of face scan data. The theft of this data – biometric data that can’t be replaced or changed – poses risks to people’s privacy and safety that are unprecedented. On top of that, we have no real way of knowing how companies are using the data they collect through facial recognition today or in the future.

Partners

Take Action

Use this toolkit to talk to lawmakers about banning facial recognition in schools in your state

More Info

Learn more and take action against other forms of surveillance impacting students: