Tell Uber and Lyft to stop scanning riders’ faces for advertising

Uber and Lyft

Imagine hopping into an Uber or Lyft and having a surveillance device immediately scan your face––harvesting data about your age, race, gender, and even attempting to analyze your emotions––and then showing you an advertisement based on your biometric information. Looking a little sad? Here’s an ad for anti-depressants. Does the algorithm think you’re a senior? Here’s an ad for nearby retirement homes.

Rideshare companies are currently allowing exactly this: a company called Alfi has been partnering with Uber and Lyft drivers to install in-vehicle tablets that use controversial facial recognition and facial analysis software to invade your privacy, just to show you “personalized” advertisements during your ride.

There’s no telling what these companies can do with your data once they scan your face, and right now in most places there are no laws that would prevent them from collecting, storing, or even selling your sensitive biometric information to other advertising companies, data brokers, or even the government. But here’s the good news: Alfi is doing all of this without Uber’s or Lyft’s permission, and all those companies have to do to stop this is add a line to their driver agreements banning the use of this technology on rideshare users.

Sign this petition and share it with everyone you know. Tell Uber and Lyft: “I don’t want to have to worry about being subjected to invasive, discriminatory facial recognition and emotion scanning software when I use your app to get a ride. Ban the use of Alfi and any other invasive surveillance-based advertising technology on rideshare users and drivers.”

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To: Uber and Lyft
From: [Your Name]

I don’t want to have to worry about being subjected to invasive, discriminatory facial recognition and emotion scanning software when I use your app to get a ride. Ban the use of Alfi and any other invasive surveillance-based advertising technology on rideshare users and drivers.