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It is baffling to me that establishments catering to marginalized groups would employ such systems in the first place.
I found somebody who explained the reason, but it's definitely not a good reason:
The morning after we chatted in the Castro, [25-year-old data analyst Ben] Gonzalez told me over Instagram DM that he was unaware Mix could share patron data with neighboring businesses but did not see a problem with it. “I think it’s cute that they share it amongst other bars,” he wrote. “It’s like a little cybersecurity community.”
https://sf.gazetteer.co/why-do-these-castro-gay-bars-have-tsa-style-face-scanners
That is dangerously naïve at best.
Most people on this planet are straight up fucking dumb, gay or not.
Thanks for that link. So I guess it's to make sure the IDs are legit and to enforce bar policies (they flag you if you misbehave).
It's still really stupid and unnecessary. Especially they aren't even required to tell you that you're getting photographed.
If a bar starts scanning my face I'll never go there again. Even if they say they stopped.
At least it's helpful to know that face scanners might exist in places so that you have the opportunity to turn around before they actually use them.
Similar machines are at TSA checkpoints, and you can opt out of using them. In fact, if everybody opts out, (that part of) the line would go more quickly.
“. . would end for now”
FFS
this post was submitted on 11 Aug 2026
177 points (98.4% liked)
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