Smaller retail and franchisee owners are among the busiest people I know. When there’s a problem, it’s usually up to them to find a solution, whether that’s troubleshooting an IT issue or dealing with staffing challenges. Add to that the fact that many owners operate multiple locations and it’s easy to understand why they are typically cautious about adopting new technologies. If the tech isn’t easy to use, or can’t demonstrate immediate and measurable benefits, realistically it’s only going to add to the ‘to do’ list.
U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Brian Schatz (Hawaii) introduced the Commercial Facial Recognition Privacy Act of 2019 to strengthen consumer protections by prohibiting commercial users of facial recognition technology (FR) from collecting and re-sharing data for identifying or tracking consumers without their consent.
Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) has introduced legislation to curb rising rates of workplace violence facing health care and social service employees such as nurses, physicians, emergency responders, medical assistants, and social workers.
Portland Rep. Diego Hernandez and the Oregon Student Association introduced a bill that would disarm campus police at Portland State University and the University of Oregon.
The American Civil Liberties Union released an analysis of data from 2015–2016 that highlights severe under-resourcing in schools and a failure to follow mental health professionals’ recommendations for adequate support systems for students.