Hacker News Reader

Because there are companies that use facial recognition data that will be bound by these rules.

It sets precedent. If you're concerned about government actors, that will make it harder for less shrewd prosecutors to enter evidence tainted by the unlawful use of facial recognition.

This is really the crux of the matter.

Any "regulation" is just meant to divide-and-conquer, while the actual bad actors do whatever they please.

Moreover, I surmise that the "regulation" will rarely be invoked to protect vulnerable populations. However, I can certainly imagine an app that recognizes and faces of police officers and / or agent provocateurs and catalogs their presence at scenes of illegal activity might well be "regulated" out of existence.

Are those really the people you fear the most?

People with a great deal of political power who are heavily armed and nearly no public or civil accountability? Yes, it's reasonable to fear people in such a position. History and common sense are both instructive on their likely actions.