Stadiums Are Embracing Face Recognition. Privacy Advocates Say They Should Stick to Sports

Thousands of people lined up outside Citi Field in Queens, New York on Wednesday to watch the Mets face off with the Orioles. But outside the ticketing booth, a handful of protesters handed out flyers. They were there to protest a recent Major League Baseball program, and one that's increasingly common in professional sports: using facial recognition on fans. Facial recognition companies and their customers argue that these systems save time, and therefore money, by shortening lines at stadium entrances. However, skeptics argue that the surveillance tools are never totally secure, make it easier for police to get information about fans, and fuel "mission creep" where surveillance technology becomes more common, or even required.