Under the guise of convenience, surveillance is increasingly being normalized and integrated in our lives.
Applications are sold to us as being the new more convenient way to do things, but often this convenience is a Trojan horse.
Airport face scans, parking apps, AI assistants, and AI note-takers are perfect examples of applications and practices we should be more worried about.
To stop surveillance from being normalized and banalized, we must object to it every chance we get.
Does refusing the face scan at security actually make a difference? I assume all the cameras in and around the airport are collecting my facial data anyway—the only real difference is that the security checkpoint you pass through could be higher quality. Or am I missing something important?
That is a very good question. I recently listened to an episode of Carey Parker’s Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons privacy podcast, in which he relays his experience at the border. The time-code is included in the link, the passage is at 1:09:28.
Spoiler alert, his face got scanned without his consent. He didn’t have the possibility to opt out. Also, he was not as prepared as he thought he was. I encourage people who have any experience with face scans at the airport or anywhere else to relay their experience here to give us an idea of what the reality is like. You don’t have to give us your location, but tell us if you were able to opt out, and how the process went.
AI Note-Taking:
I’m also curious if anyone is able to opt out of AI note-taking. I would not be surprised if it’s much harder than it seems. A while back, I had issues with an app I use, and customer support suggested we have a Zoom meeting to discuss it. My camera was off, but I did not ask about AI note-taking. In this specific scenario, I am a customer, so it’s easy for me to refuse. There are no costs.
But if you’re an employee or even a freelancer, I can imagine situations where you cannot opt out, or if you do, you risk losing your job and other work opportunities.
Thank you for this great article! 
I did not know about parking apps. It’s complete news to me. I do worry about IoT devices, though. My apartment complex is currently considering switching to smart storage water heaters and electric meters that would require an app to manage.
Most of the residents are super excited about it, while I am not. There doesn’t seem to be an option where each resident gets to choose if they want it for themselves. It’s an all or nothing situation, which is why I need to persuade everyone that it’s a terrible idea.
The app and company behind it has terrible reviews, which helps me. However, I fear that it may not be enough. I also fear that privacy might not be the argument that sways most people. I gotta think on my communication strategy. I’m considering making a post about it here to ask for advice.
It can be really hard to convince people to protect their privacy, especially when the trade-off is convenience. The privacy losses are often invisible to most people, or at least, they feel like there are.
Thank you! I’m very glad your liked the article! 
Indeed, it’s not easy to convince people of a danger they cannot immediately see.
I do not have any specific resources on smart storage water heaters and electric meters unfortunately, but I think it’s an excellent idea to ask in a forum post 
I’m sure others in the community have encountered this situation as well.
Additionally, I encourage you to check your local privacy regulation (if you haven’t already) to see if there might be protections specific to this situation.
This is often the case for AI note-taker in employment and elsewhere as well. Using “AI” doesn’t remove the requirement for following privacy regulation, and any infringement should be reported when possible.
Great article. I like you said that the provided features aren’t the problem, but the way they are implemented. AI assistants are fine - if data doesn’t leave your device -, biometrics is fine, if it doesn’t contribute to mass/targeted surveillance, or risks being leaked. I would say only device FP/Face ID respects this.
I just opted out of facial scanning at TSA yesterday with no issue at all. There was also a lot of signage about opting out, although I didn’t see anyone else in line choose to do so 
However, a real problem is airlines beginning to scan faces instead of boarding passes at the gate. Typically this is unavoidable. I didn’t experience this myself for my domestic flight, but I believe this is becoming very common for international flights. I’m sure it will come for domestic flights soon, if it hasn’t already on some airlines.
The reality is that someone taking your picture in a public place like an airline gate is simply not illegal in most cases, and that includes the gate agent taking your picture before boarding, so you have no legal ability to opt out. Maybe airlines will let you opt out from a customer service perspective, but they have no obligation to. If you want this protection the laws have to change.
Thanks for sharing. Carey’s flight was international. I believe he travelled to Canada. What he didn’t expect was to be checked for US customs in Canada. Apparently, the US and Canada have some agreement that allows US citizens to be checked in Canada instead of the US.
It’s also important to consider what your status is in relation to the country you are travelling to before considering refusing a face scan. That includes your citizenship, but also factors like race and ethnicity may have a role to play, which is unfortunate.