GAO warns of privacy risks in using facial recognition in rental housing

What about risks from facial recognition in airports? I’m shocked how everyone just says yes and does the scan. That is going to normalize facial recognition everywhere else including rental housing.

How much privacy did you have in an airport to begin with? You gave your identity to the airline when you bought a ticket, and the airline passed that on to the government. You can't fly anonymously and, as far back as I can remember, never could. Even without cameras, you need a ticket to get past security, so everyone airside has already been identified. If it's an international flight, you already gave some government a biometric-friendly photograph with your passport application.

When you rent housing, your landlord is likely to require some identification for a credit check. Your face isn't going to make a difference here, because you already handed him your ID. Where it might make a difference is internal security camera footage: if you let your significant other live with you without paying rent, the landlord will know because her face will be recognized. If you sublet without notifying the landlord, he'll know. If you're running a flophouse or drug den, he'll know. But he already knew who you were before you signed a lease, because ID is more than a face.

> You can't fly anonymously and, as far back as I can remember, never could.

This is only true for commercial flights. If you charter a plane you can be as anonymous as you like.

> But he already knew who you were before you signed a lease

Add a single third party, like the police to this mix, and the problem should become apparent. Whether or not my landlord has access to this information is one problem, who they can share it and how they share it is another.