By The Blogging Hounds
Workers at Isaac Morris Ltd., a Midtown Garment District clothing company producing licensed merchandise for major brands like Disney and Lady Gaga, were blindsided last week by an abrupt announcement: the company is replacing the old swipe-card entry system with facial recognition technology for building access.
According to anonymous employees, the IT department sent a sudden email stating that staff would soon be required to submit facial scans—no consent forms, no updated privacy policy, and no option to opt out except for entering a numeric code, which many find inconvenient. The new facial recognition cameras and software are already installed and currently in testing mode, with full rollout expected imminently.
“A Total Invasion of Privacy”
Employees, mostly working in administrative and customer service roles, expressed deep unease with the change. “We don’t even do anything super important… there’s literally no reason to be doing this other than to harass the employees,” said one staffer. Concerns about how biometric data will be stored, accessed, and safeguarded remain unanswered.
“Could someone use our facial data or entry codes to gain access on our behalf?” an employee asked. “Without strict controls, our facial data could be circulated, repurposed or manipulated.”
The company has yet to respond to inquiries.
Legal and Surveillance Concerns
Surveillance experts warn that the sudden mandate may cross legal lines. Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, told The Post, “This isn’t just creepy. It might be illegal.” He noted that New York law bans compelled fingerprinting of employees, and facial recognition essentially creates a biometric fingerprint of the face.
Facial recognition use in workplaces is a rapidly expanding, yet largely unregulated, frontier. Cybersecurity expert Dave Meister explained, “Facial scans are immutable. Once compromised, they can’t be changed. If this data is breached… the consequences can extend far beyond the workplace.”
Biometric Surveillance in American Workplaces
A 2024 survey by ExpressVPN found that 67% of U.S. employers now use biometric tracking such as facial recognition and fingerprint scans. Tech giants like Google and Intel use facial recognition at their campuses, while Amazon faces lawsuits over biometric data collection without clear consent.
Privacy advocates warn these technologies, often marketed for convenience, double as tools for invasive surveillance. Cahn said, “Employers use biometric tracking incredibly invasively to monitor employee movements, break down activity levels by the second, and police time on tasks—sometimes without notifying their employees at all.”
Minimal Protections in New York
Compared to states like Illinois, which require informed consent and limit biometric data storage, New York offers minimal worker protections. A 2024 City Council bill, Intro 217, would ban most private employers in NYC from using facial recognition to track employees. The bill has majority support but awaits a vote.
“There’s a world of difference between using your face to unlock your phone and having your employer use it as a tracking tool,” Cahn emphasized.
The Takeaway
The abrupt and compulsory facial recognition rollout at Isaac Morris Ltd. highlights a broader national debate about biometric surveillance, privacy rights, and the erosion of worker protections. As these technologies proliferate unchecked, workers must demand transparency, consent, and strict regulations to safeguard their biometric identities.
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