Congress Should Support, Not Hinder Commercial Use of Facial Recognition Technology, ITIF’s Castro Testifies
WASHINGTON—In testimony today before U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, at a hearing on commercial uses of facial recognition technology, Daniel Castro, vice president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), argued:
The evidence is clear that commercial applications of facial recognition technology are beneficial and welcomed by consumers. From unlocking phones to securing homes, and from speeding up lines at airports to preventing bank fraud and ensuring hospitals give patients the right treatments, people see and appreciate the increased convenience, security, and efficiency the technology offers. Congress should support these positive uses of facial recognition technology while carefully limiting potential misuse or abuse.
Recent calls for bans or moratoriums on facial recognition are misguided and would have negative economic and social consequences. Even narrow bans can have unintended consequences, given the widespread integration of facial recognition technology in many products and services. Congress should instead focus on steps to improve oversight and accountability in commercial applications.
###
The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan research and educational institute focusing on the intersection of technological innovation and public policy. Recognized by its peers in the think tank community as the global center of excellence for science and technology policy, ITIF’s mission is to formulate and promote policy solutions that accelerate innovation and boost productivity to spur growth, opportunity, and progress.
