{
  "id": 14177,
  "url": "https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/07/why-are-gay-bars-building-databases-their-patrons",
  "title": "Why Are Gay Bars Building Databases of Their Patrons?",
  "summary": "Recent reports have raised alarm about the use of PatronScan, an ID-checking and face-scanning system, at multiple LGBTQ+ bars in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood. Much of the attention has focused on reports that the system photographs patrons as they enter venues and questions about whether those images are used for facial recognition. A broader privacy concern also deserves scrutiny. For years, PatronScan has marketed itself not just as an ID-verification tool, but as a system that allows",
  "authors": "Joe Mullin",
  "category": "org",
  "topics": "privacy-surveillance",
  "orgs": null,
  "regions": null,
  "published_at": "2026-07-28T16:19:13.000Z",
  "fetched_at": "2026-07-29T05:10:12.205Z",
  "source_slug": "eff",
  "source_name": "EFF Deeplinks",
  "source_homepage": "https://www.eff.org",
  "ethics_ai_record_url": "https://ethics.ai/record/14177",
  "original_url": "https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/07/why-are-gay-bars-building-databases-their-patrons",
  "evidence_status": "source-only",
  "attribution": "via ethics.ai"
}