Roy Blunt US Senator For Missouri: Blunt, Merkley Introduce Legislation Banning The Use Of Facial Recognition Technology At The Internal ...

Press release from Roy Blunt US Senator for Missouri:

February 28, 2022

WASHINGTON -

U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Jeff Merkley (Ore.) today announced
the introduction of their No Facial Recognition at the IRS Act,  a bipartisan bill to ban the use of biometric recognition technology
by the IRS. The introduction of Blunt and Merkley's bill comes less than a
month after the senators sent a letter to the agency demanding it immediately
stop the use of biometric recognition and data collection on American
taxpayers.

"It is completely unacceptable for the IRS to demand
Americans submit sensitive biometric data to access basic government services
and tax information," said Blunt. "Given the IRS's past failures to
protect taxpayer data, Americans should be rightly concerned about trusting the
agency with their facial recognition data. I appreciate Senator Merkley's
partnership and encourage all of our colleagues to join us in our effort to
permanently protect taxpayers' privacy and security."

"The IRS's decision to walk back its use of facial
recognition technology was the right decision to make, but a decision that
shouldn't have to be made," said Merkley. "Facial recognition
technology is not perfect. There are reports that this technology often
misidentifies women and people of color. This process is burdensome, invasive,
inconsistent, and unnecessary--taxpayers deserve to have their privacy
protected. I look forward to continuing my work with Senator Blunt to ensure
the IRS will be permanently banned from using this intrusive technology."

The No Facial Recognition at the IRS Act will:

Blunt and Merkley have also led bipartisan efforts to ensure
American citizens know their right to opt out of federal programs that use
sensitive biometric data. Last month, the two senators led a letter addressing
the right for Americans to opt out of the use of facial recognition technology
during the U.S. Customs and Border Protection entry/exit process.

The full text of the bill can be found here.

This press release was produced by Roy Blunt US Senator for Missouri. The views expressed here are the author’s own.