Biometric Hell: San Francisco Wants Venue Owners to Take Scan All Patrons

04-18-2011 • EconomicPolicyJournal.com

The San Francisco Entertainment Commission wants to require all venues with an occupancy of over 100 people to record the faces of all patrons and scan their ID’s for storage in a database which they must hand over to law enforcement on request. The Electronic Freedom Foundation notes what one would think is obvious: Events with strong cultural, ideological, and political components are frequently held at venues that would be affected by these rules. Scanning the ID’s of all attendees at an anti-war rally, a gay night club, or a fundraiser for a civil liberties organization would have a deeply chilling effect on speech. Participants might hesitate to attend such events if their attendance were noted, stored, and made available on request to government authorities.