Our Work
Founded in 2014, the Center on Privacy & Technology is a leader at the intersection of privacy, surveillance, and civil rights.
Latest Work
Founding Director Writes the Maryland Driver Privacy Act and Testifies in Support of the Bill in the Maryland House and Senate
After the immigrant rights organization CASA discovered that ICE was running face recognition searches on databases containing Maryland driver's license photos without permission or oversight, Alvaro Bedoya joined forces with CASA, Senator Lam, and Delegate Stein to write the Maryland Driver Privacy Act. The bill would require ICE to obtain a warrant before accessing information collected by the MVA and other government agencies in the course of providing essential services to Marylanders. The bill would also require state authorities to report annually on the number of requests for information they receive and the state’s response in each case. Watch Alvaro testify in support of this bill in the Maryland House Judiciary Committee on January 27, 2021, and the Maryland Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee on January 28, 2021.
Podcast Series: City Surveillance Watch
Center Associate Jameson Spivack was featured in a three-part podcast series, City Surveillance Watch, exploring how cities are using surveillance technologies, and the implications of these invasive tools.
Coded Bias: A Look at Artificial Intelligence & Law Enforcement
Senior Associate Clare Garvie joined an expert panel discussing Coded Bias, a documentary about face recognition bias. Other panelists included director and producer Shalini Kantayya, MIT researcher Joy Buolamwini and ACLU's Kade Crawford; moderated by CNN's Van Jones.
Document Journal: Your Face is Already in a Criminal Lineup
Senior Associate discussed the risks of police face recognition use in a long-form Q&A with Document Journal.
The Perpetual Line-Up Recognized
The Perpetual Line-Up, the Center's foundational face recognition report, was recognized by the inaugural Tech Spotlight at the Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center, highlighting initiatives that orient technology to a public purpose and ensure its safety, fairness, and inclusivity.
70 Million Podcast: Face Recognition and Detroit
Senior Associate Clare Garvie was interviewed for the 70 Million podcast about police use of face recognition in Detroit and ongoing efforts of community members to put a stop to it.
“New Paper: Legislative Approaches to Face Recognition in the United States” blog
Associate Jameson Spivack published a blog detailing the highlights of a paper he and Senior Associate Clare Garvie had recently co-authored: "A Taxonomy of Legislative Approaches to Face Recognition in the United States." Read the whole blog here.
GAO: CBP Should Address Privacy and System Performance Issues
The Government Accountability Office issued a report finding that airport face scans did not improve airport agents' day-to-day capabilities. The Center's December 2017 report, Not Ready for Takeoff, found that airport face scans were unjustified.
Report: Legislative Approaches to Face Recognition Around the Country
Policy Associate Jameson Spivack and Senior Associate Clare Garvie’s paper analyzing how lawmakers around the US are trying to regulate face recognition was published in the AI Now Institute’s biometric technologies report.
Town Hall: The Dangers of Face Recognition and How to Respond
Senior Associate Clare Garvie participated in a town hall on face recognition hosted by the Project on Government Oversight with Malkia Cyril of the Center for Media Justice, Matt Cagle of ACLU NorCal, POGO's Jake Laperruque, Rep. Jimmy Gomez, and Sen. Jeff Merkley.