Our Work
Founded in 2014, the Center on Privacy & Technology is a leader at the intersection of privacy, surveillance, and civil rights.
Latest Work
New DHS Program to Scan Americans’ Faces at Airports Riddled with Legal and Technical Problems
On December 21, 2017, the Privacy Center released "Not Ready for Takeoff." Authored by Associate Harrison Rudolph, Deputy Director Laura Moy, and Executive Director Alvaro Bedoya, the report explains that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been scanning of the faces of travelers at eight U.S. airports without legal authorization or technical safeguards. Read the full press release
Center Report: Not Ready For Takeoff
The Center released a report on the Department of Homeland Security's airport face scanning program, finding that the program never was justified, may violate federal law, is technically flawed, and has not been sufficiently evaluated for bias. The report recommends a suspension of the program pending correction of these problems.
Bipartisan Senate Oversight Letter of Biometric Exit
Senators Edward Markey (MA) and Mike Lee (UT) sent a letter urging the Department of Homeland Security to "stop the expansion" of its Biometric Exit program and to address privacy concerns about the program. The letter cited the Center's December 2017 report on the program, Not Ready for Takeoff, which raised many of the same concerns.
Cato Institute Surveillance Conference 2017
Clare Garvie and Founding Director Alvaro Bedoya spoke at Cato Insitute's annual surveillance conference about the "Digital Muslim Ban" and the ever-increasing use of face recognition technology by police.
Op-Ed: Facial Recognition Is Here. The iPhone X Is Just the Beginning
In an op-ed published in The Guardian, Clare Garvie argued that Apple’s incorporation of face recognition into the iPhone X may lead to a dangerous complacency to the risks of the pervasive deployment of the technology.
Privacy Center Files Lawsuit for Release of Information on NYPD’s Face Recognition Program
On May 2, 2017, the Privacy Center filed a lawsuit against the New York Police Department (NYPD) for failure to release documents about its use of face recognition technology in compliance with the state's public records law. Read the full press release.
Center on Privacy & Technology v. NYPD
The Center sued the New York City Police Department under the state's Freedom of Information Law for the department's refusal to disclose records pertaining to its use of face recognition technology. Litigation is ongoing.
Privacy Center Executive Director Testifies at House Oversight Hearing on Law Enforcement Use of Face Recognition Technology
On March 22, 2017, founding Executive Director Alvaro Bedoya testified before the House Oversight Committee. The hearing follows the Privacy Center's publication of "The Perpetual Line-Up," which found that more than half of Americans is in a criminal face recognition network. Read the full press advisory.
Over Half of All American Adults Are In a Police Face Recognition Database, New Report Finds
On October 18, 2016, the Privacy Center released "The Perpetual Line-Up: Unregulated Police Face Recognition in America." Authored by Associate Clare Garvie, Executive Director Alvaro Bedoya, and Staff Technologist Jonathan Frankle, the report found that more than half of American adults were enrolled in a face recognition network searchable by law enforcement. Read the full press release.