The EFF has launched a formal protest against a proposal in San Francisco that would require all venues and clubs to to record the faces of all patrons and employees and scan their ID's for storage in a database which they must hand over to law enforcement on request. The law would apply to any venue with an occupancy of 100 or more (including non-profits) and was proposed by the San Francisco Entertainment Commission.

The EFF notes:

Events with strong cultural, ideological, and political components are frequently held at venues that would be affected by these rules. Scanning the ID's of all attendees at an anti-war rally, a gay night club, or a fundraiser for a civil liberties organization would have a deeply chilling effect on speech. Participants might hesitate to attend such events if their attendance were noted, stored, and made available on request to government authorities. This would transform the politically and culturally tolerant environment for which San Francisco is famous into a police state.

The group is encouraging concerned citizens to attend a public hearing on the evening of April 12th. Find more details on this here.