ARLINGTON, Texas — You might have seen a video on X that says "all 32 NFL teams will start using facial recognition to verify the identity of people entering the stadium."
The account that posted the video, @Vision4theBlind, uses a video clip from the Dallas Cowboys website and says "It shows how easy it is to identify someone in these large crowds."
The video has led those to believe the Cowboys, along with the other NFL teams, would be using facial recognition to monitor fans during games.
NFL aggregator accounts, most notably Dov Kleiman, spread this tweet to its hundreds of thousands of followers. Kleiman's tweet has since been deleted.
THE QUESTION
Is the NFL using facial recognition software to monitor fans during games?
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
WHAT WE FOUND
The context of this post on X is misleading.
In a response to the now-deleted Dov Kleiman tweet, McCarthy pointed out that the NFL tested a new facial recognition program last season in six stadiums, but it does not apply to fans.
"This is only for individuals w/ working credentials – team/gameday personnel, vendors & media. These ppl have already submitted their photo as part of the process & this system will make it more efficient and secure," McCarthy said in his post on X.
The NFL’s facial recognition system, Wicket, is completely separate from the Cowboys fan cam used in the viral X post.
The Dallas Cowboys fan cam has been around for years, actually, dating as far back as the Aug. 21, 2021 game versus the Texans. You can cycle through the 30 home games between then and the home playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers on Jan. 14, 2023. You'll even see the link for the upcoming home preseason matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers is set up.
Wicket's technology has been used for more efficient ticketing with fans, but completely on an opt-in basis. The Cleveland Browns partnered with Wicket to offer faster ticket scanning lanes, which they tout sped up fan entry by 400%. But again, fans had to enroll in this option and participation was 100% opt-in.
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