San Francisco Votes to Ban City Use of Facial Recognition Technology

San Francisco Votes to Ban City Use of Facial Recognition Technology
City Supervisor Aaron Peskin speaks before a vote on a surveillance technology ordinance that he sponsored, in San Francisco, Calif., on May 14, 2019. Jeffrey Dastin/Reuters
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SAN FRANCISCO—San Francisco officials on Tuesday, May 14, voted 8 to 1 to ban the purchase and use of facial recognition technology by city personnel, in a move to regulate tools that local Silicon Valley companies helped develop.

The ordinance, which also would require city departments to submit surveillance technology policies for public vetting, can become final after a second vote next week by the same officials, the city’s Board of Supervisors.