Why are San Francisco gay bars scanning patrons’ faces?

The use of facial-scanning technology at several San Francisco gay bars has angered many in the LGBTQ+ community. At locations often frequented by people who are not publicly out, the notion of tracking patrons' whereabouts in the very havens sought for privacy raises many alarms.

At least three gay bars in the Castro District have started using Patronscan Guard+, a technology intended to flag fake IDs, according to the San Francisco Gazetteer. But the experience of having a camera turned on every person entering the venues, often without warning, has left many outraged.

Hart Owen told the outlet that she considers the surveillance technology a serious risk to privacy. “It’s really not great to have lists of gay people,” they said.

Management at Mix, Badlands, and Toad Hall declined to speak to the Gazetteer about the issue, though bouncers pointed reporters to signage informing guests that the technology was being used.

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The Patronscan website offers insight into how the data can be used. The technology, according to the company, goes beyond simple document checks to validate identification and includes third-party checks. Those could flag people wanted by law enforcement or those appearing on sex offender registries. The company said it uses more than 8,500 forensic checks for every ID card scanned in bars, cross-referencing information to verify ages and names with listed addresses, “giving your front-of-house team real-time access to the patron intelligence they need.”

The site also addresses privacy concerns.

“We know this is one of the first questions operators ask, and we want to be clear: when a Third-Party Check runs, we use only the guest’s name and address to compare against publicly available information, such as confirming that an address exists and is valid,” the site reads. “No guest data is stored or sold as part of this feature.”

But the bouncer who spoke to the Gazetteer said guests' facial scans would be stored for up to 30 days and then deleted in most cases. However, if guests engage in problematic behavior, such as starting fights or stealing from the bar, the establishment may retain the information indefinitely to flag those patrons if they return after being barred from the venue.

The company said the technology is in use in more than 700 cities around the world. But it has already become the subject of litigation, including a class-action lawsuit in Illinois. Plaintiff Erica Normal sued Servall Biometrics, the company behind Patronscan, alleging it illegally collected and used facial recognition data without obtaining consent, in violation of state privacy laws, according to Legal Newsline.

Owen said the concern is especially concerning at bars that cater to an LGBTQ+ population.

“Why is this at a gay bar, of all places?” she told the Gazetteer.