Facial recognition technology is being deployed in housing projects, homeless shelters, schools, even across entire cities—usually without much fanfare or discussion. To some, this represents a critical technology for helping vulnerable communities gain access to social services. For others, it’s a flagrant invasion of privacy and human dignity. In this episode, we speak to the advocates, technologists, and dissidents dealing with the messy consequences that come when a technology that can identify you almost anywhere (even if you’re wearing a mask) is deployed without any clear playbook for regulating or managing it.

We meet: Eric Williams, senior staff attorney at Detroit Justice CenterFabian Rogers, community advocate at Surveillance Technology Oversight ProjectHelen Knight, founder of Tech for Social GoodRay Bolling, president and co-founder of Eyemetric Identity SystemsMary Sunden, executive director of the Christ Church Community Development Corporation

Credits: This episode was reported and produced by Jennifer Strong, Tate Ryan-Mosley, Emma Cillekens, and Karen Hao. We’re edited by Michael Reilly and Gideon Lichfield.