JR East refuses to respond to any protests from users

JR EAST REFUSES TO RESPOND TO ANY PROTESTS FROM USERS

On October 12, we brought a protest and questionnaire to JR East’s head office, demanding the removal of the facial recognition surveillance cameras that JR East has installed (and plans to expand). We were told by the receptionist that we would not be allowed to enter without an appointment, but JR East refused our repeated attempts to make an appointment and asked us to use the inquiry form on the web. JR East has not responded to our requests for appointments through the web form, and has refused to respond to any of our protests and questions, because of security reasons. Because of this, we went to the head office, but the security company employee who responded was instructed by JR East to turn us away and only reiterated that “no JR employees will meet with you.

The Japan Federation of Bar Associations has issued an opinion statement criticizing the use of biometrics. Several editorials in the press (Asahi, Tokyo, Kyoto, Shinano Mainichi) have also criticized the use of biometrics. Internationally, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has called for an end to the use of biometrics. As you mentioned above, the seriousness of the problem regarding the use of biometric technology is being pointed out one after another.

JR East plans to eventually install 35,000 facial recognition surveillance cameras in stations and trains alone, which would be an extraordinary number of facial recognition cameras on railroads worldwide. The facial recognition system can be used in various ways in combination with databases, which will inevitably lead to serious privacy violations. We will continue to demand that JR East agrees to discuss the issue with users, and we would very much like to achieve the removal of the biometric surveillance camera system itself.