Two Castro Gay Bars Pause Facial Recognition After Boycott Campaign

Two of the Castro's most well-known gay bars have paused their use of facial recognition technology at the door after a boycott campaign by privacy advocates.

Badlands (4121 18th St.) and Toad Hall (4146 18th St.) confirmed this week that they are suspending their use of Patronscan — a system marketed as an ID-verification tool that also uses cameras to photograph patrons upon entry. A third Castro bar on the technology, The Mix (4086 18th St.), has not responded to press inquiries.

The pause came after weeks of mounting pressure from multiple directions. The Bay Area Reporter reported that the bars acted two days after the paper reached out with questions about the surveillance system. The San Francisco Chronicle credited a broader boycott campaign organized by the digital-rights group Fight for the Future, which drew backing from musicians including Rage Against the Machine members Zack de la Rocha and Tom Morello, along with the Coup's Boots Riley.

“Effective immediately, we are pausing the use of Patronscan while we review our ID verification and security practices,” Brian Aranda, director of operations for the bars, said in a statement. “The safety of our guests and staff remains a priority, as do privacy and trust. Our security teams will continue to thoroughly check IDs manually during this time.”

The technology had been in use for months before a June article in the San Francisco Gazetteer — titled "Why do these Castro gay bars have TSA-style face scanners?" — brought it to wider attention. Patronscan has previously settled a class-action lawsuit in Illinois, where the company was accused of gathering biometric data from bar-goers without obtaining written consent, in violation of state law.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation raised pointed concerns about what the cameras mean in spaces that have historically served as refuges for gay men. “Californians should be deeply concerned about businesses that collect information from government-issued IDs and use it to build databases about where people go, whom they associate with, and whether they should be allowed into other public gathering places,” the EFF stated. “That concern is especially strong in LGBTQ+ spaces, which have long served as refuges for people to go without being tracked, monitored, or put on lists.”

Evan Greer, a transgender musician who leads Fight for the Future, made the stakes explicit. “AI surveillance technology is creepy for anyone going to a show or a club, but it's particularly dangerous for members of the LGBTQ+ community who are facing increased attacks on our rights and safety,” Greer said, as the Chronicle reported.

San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman, who represents the Castro, acknowledged the tension between safety and privacy. The neighborhood has seen a number of assaults on bar patrons in recent years, and Mandelman said he understood owners' interest in security technology. But he added: “Use of this technology raises understandable concerns about privacy, data security, and how personal information is collected and used. I don't think it's a simple issue.”

Mandelman's office is organizing a meeting with bar owners for mid-next week, according to the Bay Area Reporter.

Badlands owner TJ Bruce told the Bay Area Reporter that a public forum on the matter “doesn't sound like a bad idea.” Toad Hall owner Les Natali did not return comment.

According to Fight for the Future, the bars' decision leaves only three San Francisco venues still using face-scanning technology: The Mix, Oracle Park, and 1015 Folsom. Separately, dozens of music festivals have pledged not to use the tech, though some major events — Outside Lands among them — have declined to commit.