Appreciation post: My old boss warned me about facial recognition in our apartment building

About two years ago, our building management in Chicago proposed installing a facial recognition system for entry. My former boss, who worked in data privacy, told me flat out, 'Do not vote for that. It's a biometric data collection scheme disguised as convenience.' I thought he was being overly cautious, but I listened. The system was installed anyway, and last month, a local news report found the building's security vendor had been selling anonymized entry pattern data to a marketing firm. The data wasn't 'anonymous' at all; they could track when specific residents came and went. His warning was spot on. It made me realize how easily we trade privacy for a minor perk. Has anyone else had their building push for this kind of tech, and how did you push back?

2 comments

2 Comments

fisher.adam4d ago

My building tried a fingerprint scanner, which I vetoed with my permanently pizza-greasy hands.

simon7174d ago

What about people with skin conditions?