KEEP FACE SURVEILLANCE OFF POLICE BODY CAMERAS

Body cameras were intended to guard against police misconduct, not to be used as a mass surveillance system that identifies and tracks Californians.

For three years, a state law prohibiting body camera face surveillance helped prevent the misidentification and wrongful imprisonment of Californians, safeguarded our freedom of speech, and protected our privacy. But that law expired in January.

Widespread use of face recognition on body cameras would be tantamount to requiring that everyone show their photo ID to every police officer they pass, further endangering immigrants and people of color who already are subject to over policing, racial profiling, and potentially fatal police encounters.

Furthermore, face recognition software is notoriously inaccurate and biased, generating up to 100 times more false positives for women and people of color. But even if the technology always correctly identified people, it would still be dangerous and a threat to our rights.

Tell your State Senator to protect Californians against face-scanning body cameras by voting YES on AB 1034.