wire / 2026-08-09-61f5
San Francisco bars Badlands and Toad Hall suspend PatronScan facial recognition after boycott
Patrons made clear that being scanned at the door was not part of the night out. The scanner is off.
The facts
Two prominent San Francisco gay bars, Badlands and Toad Hall, suspended use of PatronScan, an AI-powered facial recognition system, following public backlash and boycott over privacy violations and concerns about discrimination and data misuse, particularly affecting marginalized LGBTQ+ communities.