Wyden, Colleagues Demand HUD Review Facial Recognition Technology Use in Federally Assisted Housing

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Cory Booker, D-N.J., Edward Markey, D-Mass., and Kamala D. Harris, D-Calif., and U.S. Representatives Yvette D. Clarke, D-N.Y., Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., today asked the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to review policies regarding the use of facial recognition technologies in federally assisted housing. 

In a letter to HUD Secretary Ben Carson, the legislators pointed out the threats that facial recognition technology poses to marginalized communities, opening the door to unchecked government surveillance.

Experts have also noted inaccuracies in facial recognition technology that disproportionately affect vulnerable communities, specifically women, transgender individuals and people of color.

The legislators continued, “These false and biased judgments can exacerbate the vulnerabilities that marginalized groups already face in life, such as the overcriminalization of people of color and transgender individuals. Potential sharing of this data, particularly with law enforcement, further heightens concerns about the risk this technology poses to vulnerable communities.”

The legislators requested a response from HUD by January 24, 2020.

In July 2018, Wyden and Booker questioned federal law-enforcement agencies on their use of facial recognition technology.

A full copy of today’s letter is available here.

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