San Francisco Becomes First US City to Ban Facial Recognition
San Francisco officials vote to outlaw facial recognition technology by city departments to protect civil liberties. The groundbreaking ordinance also establishes strict oversight rules for other surveillance tools.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors votes 8-1 to approve the Stop Secretive Surveillance ordinance, which outlaws the use of facial recognition software by city departments. This landmark decision makes San Francisco the first city in the United States to ban government use of the technology, citing severe threats to civil rights and racial justice. A final vote takes place at a May 21 meeting to officially enact the measure.
Supervisor Aaron Peskin calls facial recognition a uniquely dangerous technology and highlights its potential to enable a surveillance state. The ordinance reflects concerns that the technology exacerbates racial injustice and subjects citizens to continuous government monitoring, a point underscored by past misidentifications of lawmakers by commercial software like Amazon's Rekognition. Supervisor Catherine Stefani casts the sole dissenting vote due to unresolved public safety concerns.
Beyond the facial recognition ban, the legislation requires city departments to establish strict usage policies for other surveillance devices like license plate readers and drones. Agencies must submit annual reports on their surveillance activities and obtain Board of Supervisors approval before acquiring any new monitoring technology. The measure earns strong support from various human rights and privacy organizations that advocate for increased police accountability.