Government agencies in 78 countries now use public facial recognition technology. It's commonly pitched as a tool to capture terrorists or dangerous criminals, but @restofworld says it has emerged as a critical instrument in identifying and punishing protesters. "In countries where demonstrating can come with physical or political risk, large-scale protests have historically offered a degree of anonymity, and, with it, a level of protection," Darren Loucaides writes. "But in the last decade, the spread of facial recognition technology has changed that equation: A lone face in a crowd is no longer anonymous; facial recognition allows authorities to capture people’s identities en masse."
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