Live Nation and Ticketmaster said they do not “currently have plans to deploy facial recognition” at its venues, after a recent campaign against the technology was launched.
The ticketing and live entertainment giants said that any future use of facial recognition would be “strictly opt-in.”
Digital rights advocacy group Fight For the Future launched a campaign that calls on Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation, to ban facial recognition at its concert venues and festivals.
Fight For the Future’s deputy director Evan Greer says it could incite police harassment, misidentification and discrimination thanks to what it dubs “Big Brother-style biometric surveillance.”
The group has been joined by a coalition of musicians and activists that claim to fundamentally disagree with the face-scanning technology being used as an entry method at events, rather than presenting a ticket.
Artists standing against facial recognition technology at concerts and festivals include Speedy Ortiz, The Glitch Mob, and Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello.
When asked about its current plans for facial recognition, Ticketmaster said, according to Digital Music News: “Ticketmaster is always exploring new ways to enhance the fan experience, and while we do not currently have plans to deploy facial recognition technology at our ‘clients’ venues, rest assured, any future consideration would be strictly opt-in, always giving fans the right to choose.”
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