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Thursday, September 12, 2019
Artists Call on Ticketmaster to Drop Facial Recognition Tech Plans
www.ticketnews.com: Artists including Tom Morello, The Glitch Mob, Speedy Ortiz and Atmosphere are among those who are throwing their support behind a campaign asking that Ticketmaster ban facial recognition software at concerts and other live events.
This whole plan gives me an uneasy feeling in my stomach. This is the first I have heard of this kind of technology being used in a setting like this and I have to say I don’t like it. I know in theory it should make concerts and events a “safer” place to be but it also isn’t the time or the place to be searching for people of interest like that. To me facial recognition is bound to eek its way into our society at some point but this really isn’t a place where I think the first step should be looking to head for. The entertainment industry doesn’t need to politicize itself by aligning themselves with these systems to track and hunt down people. To me it fits more in places like airports. I know in Atlanta they have started introducing it at the TSA check points and international gates for checking ids rather then someone scanning it for authenticity they do a quick search of the flier right then and there.
There are a lot of problems with facial recognition software. However, I don’t think this technology is going away and this is standard at casinos in Las Vegas. In fact, this is one of the things that made me feel safe while working at one of the casinos this past summer. Every person that enters a casino or concert venue has their face scanned, cars have their its license plates scanned, and every person who books a hotel room has their name run through there system. All security systems can be abused, and the abuse almost always disproportionately affects minorities, however instead of fighting against it, I think we need to prevent Ticketmaster and other companies from abusing the software. We need security at large concerts for the protection of fans, staff, and the artists. Going to a concert should not be a dangerous activity and systems like this to prevent terrorism and mass casualty attacks. There is no easy answer to this question and we can’t solve this problem in 200 words comment on David’s blog. But, I believe this technology is here to stay and we need to make sure that it works for everyone, not just people of privilege.
The stance of the artists on this issue is a welcome one. A concert is a place where audience members go to feel safe and enjoy themselves with other like-minded individuals. Like the article says, these practices are invasive and profile racially. It can be hard to know how accurate these things can be and also how expensive they will be. It detracts from having a shared experience where people are enjoying themselves and celebrating artists that they support. In this time of people who are being detained or completely uprooted from their well established lives, seeing this technology that could potentially aid and abet this in a place where people are there purely to celebrate artists and have a good time. There is an interesting point that the article brings up concerning the safety of the artists. It brings up the point of Taylor Swift, which doesn't seem like a completely unreasonable case. It will be interesting to see where it goes in the future.
I think that this issue is a really controversial one in that there really isn’t one better answer. I personally see both sides. For example, with the shooting at the route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas in 2017. In this example, this technology wouldn’t have been of use, but it is big events like these where bad tragedies are more likely to happen. With this facial recognition, event security might be able to become aware of dangerous situations before it is too late. This technology could also, if used incorrectly, target minority groups. I think that if we knew that this technology would be used in responsible ways, I would have no problem with being in full support of it. However, I think it is too early to start implementing this technology before we actually know what our information is being used for.
Not to my knowledge, Ticketmaster has been using a facial recognition software at a lot of concerts and other events they have been supporting. As of a year ago, they purchased a facial recognition company called Blink Identity, where the company said they could "acquire a face image and match it against a large database in half a second." Many artists have sided with a campaign to ban Ticketmaster of using this facial recognition software at these live events. The organization leading this banning, Fight For the Future, believes undocumented fans, and even fans or color of transgender fans, could be at risk when monitored so specifically at any live event. Fight for the Futures deputy director, Evan Greer believes that people should have a sense of security but not be monitored at these entertainment events. Greer called out artists to stand up for their fans rights and security and to push back against this facial recognition software. Hopefully, something beneficial can come from this, as I would like to see less high surveillance monitorization
The facial recognition software that Ticketmaster has invested in is very scary. It’s really unnerving to think that if you go to a concert cameras could recognize your face and link it to all of your personal records, address, credit card information, police records, and anything else potentially incriminating. If someone is misidentified than they could be accused of something that they did not do. If someone who is an illegal immigrant attends a concert, they could be identified and deported. As cool as facial recognition technology is, this use of it feels like an invasion of our privacy. People are already signing petitions to try to ban the use of facial recognition technology at concerts and other live performances. Facial recognition could also be used to discriminate against people of color, trans people, and people with criminal records. The idea that someone could be detained at a concert venue because they were identified as someone with a criminal record is so scary and wrong.
While I am not against the entire concept of using some sort of facial recognition, I think that using it at concerts and in the entertainment industry in general is perhaps too early in terms of where the software is as a whole in the world. I don't think the software has been used enough to really understand how it can be helpful, and also I feel like a lot of the issues with it are undiscovered and will need to be ironed out, and I'm not sure the entertainment industry is the place to do that. People should be able to go to concerts and have a good time, not be worried about their immigration status or that they could be mistaken for someone else and wrongfully accused of something they did not do. I think facial recognition will eventually have some sort of role in our society, but adding to to performance venues seems a little reckless and premature.
This is dangerous. Facial Recognition is not going to be used to better the fan experience, it’s going to be used by security companies at venues to harass patrons. Any program developed by a security team is a product intended to be used by security personnel to track potential threats to a venue. Ticketmaster should not be involved in any type of program like this. Artists like Taylor Swift claim is to track potential stalkers, but there are things that she can do as an artist to minimize the chance to have these encounters. The bigger issue here is that now a major ticket agent wants to have as part of their arsenal. There is nothing safe about this. Most venue security personnel are private companies who are not bound to the same standards as a public police force. Scattered throughout these companies tend to be people who are ex military or individuals who have a militia mentality. Again, this is dangerous. They act like legit police but are not commissioned officers and don’t have the same liability. Ticketmaster would do well to walk away and so should people like Taylor Swift. There are other ways that are not a direct invasion of privacy.
8 comments:
This whole plan gives me an uneasy feeling in my stomach. This is the first I have heard of this kind of technology being used in a setting like this and I have to say I don’t like it. I know in theory it should make concerts and events a “safer” place to be but it also isn’t the time or the place to be searching for people of interest like that. To me facial recognition is bound to eek its way into our society at some point but this really isn’t a place where I think the first step should be looking to head for. The entertainment industry doesn’t need to politicize itself by aligning themselves with these systems to track and hunt down people. To me it fits more in places like airports. I know in Atlanta they have started introducing it at the TSA check points and international gates for checking ids rather then someone scanning it for authenticity they do a quick search of the flier right then and there.
There are a lot of problems with facial recognition software. However, I don’t think this technology is going away and this is standard at casinos in Las Vegas. In fact, this is one of the things that made me feel safe while working at one of the casinos this past summer. Every person that enters a casino or concert venue has their face scanned, cars have their its license plates scanned, and every person who books a hotel room has their name run through there system. All security systems can be abused, and the abuse almost always disproportionately affects minorities, however instead of fighting against it, I think we need to prevent Ticketmaster and other companies from abusing the software. We need security at large concerts for the protection of fans, staff, and the artists. Going to a concert should not be a dangerous activity and systems like this to prevent terrorism and mass casualty attacks. There is no easy answer to this question and we can’t solve this problem in 200 words comment on David’s blog. But, I believe this technology is here to stay and we need to make sure that it works for everyone, not just people of privilege.
The stance of the artists on this issue is a welcome one. A concert is a place where audience members go to feel safe and enjoy themselves with other like-minded individuals. Like the article says, these practices are invasive and profile racially. It can be hard to know how accurate these things can be and also how expensive they will be. It detracts from having a shared experience where people are enjoying themselves and celebrating artists that they support. In this time of people who are being detained or completely uprooted from their well established lives, seeing this technology that could potentially aid and abet this in a place where people are there purely to celebrate artists and have a good time. There is an interesting point that the article brings up concerning the safety of the artists. It brings up the point of Taylor Swift, which doesn't seem like a completely unreasonable case. It will be interesting to see where it goes in the future.
I think that this issue is a really controversial one in that there really isn’t one better answer. I personally see both sides. For example, with the shooting at the route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas in 2017. In this example, this technology wouldn’t have been of use, but it is big events like these where bad tragedies are more likely to happen. With this facial recognition, event security might be able to become aware of dangerous situations before it is too late. This technology could also, if used incorrectly, target minority groups. I think that if we knew that this technology would be used in responsible ways, I would have no problem with being in full support of it. However, I think it is too early to start implementing this technology before we actually know what our information is being used for.
Not to my knowledge, Ticketmaster has been using a facial recognition software at a lot of concerts and other events they have been supporting. As of a year ago, they purchased a facial recognition company called Blink Identity, where the company said they could "acquire a face image and match it against a large database in half a second." Many artists have sided with a campaign to ban Ticketmaster of using this facial recognition software at these live events. The organization leading this banning, Fight For the Future, believes undocumented fans, and even fans or color of transgender fans, could be at risk when monitored so specifically at any live event. Fight for the Futures deputy director, Evan Greer believes that people should have a sense of security but not be monitored at these entertainment events. Greer called out artists to stand up for their fans rights and security and to push back against this facial recognition software. Hopefully, something beneficial can come from this, as I would like to see less high surveillance monitorization
The facial recognition software that Ticketmaster has invested in is very scary. It’s really unnerving to think that if you go to a concert cameras could recognize your face and link it to all of your personal records, address, credit card information, police records, and anything else potentially incriminating. If someone is misidentified than they could be accused of something that they did not do. If someone who is an illegal immigrant attends a concert, they could be identified and deported. As cool as facial recognition technology is, this use of it feels like an invasion of our privacy. People are already signing petitions to try to ban the use of facial recognition technology at concerts and other live performances. Facial recognition could also be used to discriminate against people of color, trans people, and people with criminal records. The idea that someone could be detained at a concert venue because they were identified as someone with a criminal record is so scary and wrong.
While I am not against the entire concept of using some sort of facial recognition, I think that using it at concerts and in the entertainment industry in general is perhaps too early in terms of where the software is as a whole in the world. I don't think the software has been used enough to really understand how it can be helpful, and also I feel like a lot of the issues with it are undiscovered and will need to be ironed out, and I'm not sure the entertainment industry is the place to do that. People should be able to go to concerts and have a good time, not be worried about their immigration status or that they could be mistaken for someone else and wrongfully accused of something they did not do. I think facial recognition will eventually have some sort of role in our society, but adding to to performance venues seems a little reckless and premature.
This is dangerous. Facial Recognition is not going to be used to better the fan experience, it’s going to be used by security companies at venues to harass patrons. Any program developed by a security team is a product intended to be used by security personnel to track potential threats to a venue. Ticketmaster should not be involved in any type of program like this. Artists like Taylor Swift claim is to track potential stalkers, but there are things that she can do as an artist to minimize the chance to have these encounters. The bigger issue here is that now a major ticket agent wants to have as part of their arsenal. There is nothing safe about this. Most venue security personnel are private companies who are not bound to the same standards as a public police force. Scattered throughout these companies tend to be people who are ex military or individuals who have a militia mentality. Again, this is dangerous. They act like legit police but are not commissioned officers and don’t have the same liability. Ticketmaster would do well to walk away and so should people like Taylor Swift. There are other ways that are not a direct invasion of privacy.
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