Legislators in San Francisco yesterday voted to approve a ban on the use of Facial Recognition (FR) technology by city agencies, including the police department and the city’s transport authority.
The Stop Secret Surveillance Ordinance – the administrative code introduced to ban the use of FR tech – was put forward by San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who, during a press conference on Tuesday, stated: “I want to be clear – this is not an anti-technology policy.”
Instead, Peskin emphasized that the ordinance is supposed to be an accountability measure “to ensure the safe and responsible use” of surveillance technology, and to give the public a voice in the decisions being made.
The ordinance was passed by a vote of 8 to 1 of San Francisco’s supervisors (with 2 absentees), but the new rules will not apply to security measures at San Francisco’s airport or sea port, as they are controlled by federal, not local, agencies.
While city agencies will need to seek approval to buy new surveillance devices, they will be allowed to continue using what they already have, including police body cameras and license plate readers
This is the latest piece of legislation in this FR sphere, with Amazon and Microsoft originally both calling for legislation to monitor the use of this technology, and more recently with Hawaii and Missouri senators introducing legislative oversight on the commercial use of FR tech.
It will be interesting to see whether other US cities and states follow in San Francisco’s footsteps and introduce their own version of legislative oversight. What is clear is that FR tech and its use is a very contentious topic at the moment, and is a space that should be followed closely!
What do you think of this new legislation from San Francisco? Agree with their thoughts? Do you know of any other authorities across the world discussing similar legislations? Let us know in the comments!
