Some cities are banning government use of facial recognition technology to protect peoples privacy.

Question

Cities are saying that the governments use of facial recognition presents a threat to free expression, information security, and social justice.

Answer 1

The verdict for this report is true, and is a representation of an ongoing, and very important legal battle. The EFF,  (electronic frontier foundations) says that facial recognition is a threat to privacy as it allows the government to track peoples movement without any reason. Important cities like San Fransisco and Boston have already implemented a ban, there is no federal law that stops the US government from using it. Government agencies like the FBI have started expanding use of this technology which has been leading to a lot of lawsuits. 

Links: The Civil Rights Implications of the Federal Use of Facial Recognition Technology

Trump administration expands facial recognition while erasing oversight policy

Answer 2

The ideas posed are true. The information (or computer age) is still in its infancy, newer forms of privacy violation will always crop up. Surveillance poses a major threat to public privacy, in general, too. Specifically, 9/11 and the war on terror changed the whole privacy landscape for American citizens as a whole. In addition to that, there's a close correlation between issues like this and the continued xenophobic tendencies of the Americas as a governing body.