by Chris Burt, Activist Post:

The use of facial recognition at sports stadiums and arenas represents a threat to people’s rights to privacy and to participate in sporting life, according to Privacy International.

The privacy advocacy group has written a letter to the UN Special Rapporteur in response to a call for input “on the right to participate in sports.”

The letter seems more focused on the comfort level of people attending entertainment events at privately-owned facilities than the rights of downtrodden people to play sports, however. In the former case, pricey tickets come with terms and conditions, which allow the search of attendee’s bags and pockets to prevent people from carrying weapons into crowded events. In the latter case, people living in refugee camps may be dissuaded from using a playing field by the use of security cameras.