File this one under 'Shocking.'
Rep.Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said she checked to see if pigs could fly after she found a rare moment of common ground with House Republicans over the protection of Americans from surveillance.
During a House Oversight Committee hearing, lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle expressed the need for legislation to regulate the increasingly widespread use of facial recognition software to track members of the public.
Buzzfeed had reported that law enforcement agencies and private companies have been using the technology to identify people’s faces in public and private settings. Amazon’s “Rekognition” software has been aggressively marketed to law enforcement groups, including the FBI and the Orlando Police Department.
Congressman Mark Meadows, the chairman of the Freedom Caucus, described facial recognition as a "sweet spot that brings progressives and conservatives together."
Lawmakers argued that Americans' civil liberties are in jeopardy, as inaccuracies in the technology could misidentify suspects and disproportionally target minorities. Republicans and Democrats agreed that Congress must draft new legislation to increase oversight and further regulate organizations that utilize the new tech.