Major festivals like Coachella, Bonnaroo, and SXSW have joined a campaign against the use of facial recognition at concerts and festivals.
The campaign, launched by Fight For The Future, is led by a collection of human rights groups, musicians, and fans plus over 40 large festivals all pledging to not use the technology at their events.
The technology has been in use since 2018 when Ticketmaster invested in Blink Identity, a startup that uses quick facial recognition technology to help attendees move through the entry process faster.
While this use has not been implemented yet for the masses, it has been used by Madison Square Garden at a Taylor Swift show to cross-reference with a database of her known stalkers.
But those a part of Fight For The Future claim it’s an invasion of privacy, claiming, “We want everyone to feel safe and welcome at shows. So we commit to not allow venues to use invasive surveillance tech like facial recognition at shows we play by updating our rider to require this or boycotting venues that won’t accommodate this request.”
To learn more about why Fight For The Future and several festivals are pushing a ban on facial recognition technology, check out the video below or their website here.
