Under the San Francisco Supervisory Board’s decision of eight to one, local authorities will not be able to use face recognition technology in any area, including security and transport.
San Francisco will be the first US city to ban the use of this technology, with a decision to be enacted after a second vote next week. In addition, the purchase of new monitoring technologies will be subject to the permission of the city administration. Those who oppose the decision would risk public safety and hinder the fight against crime, he says.
The supporters of the ban argue that the technology, which they find unreliable in their current form, will be prevented from violating the privacy and individual freedoms of individuals.
‘Not compatible with a healthy democracy’
Matt Cagle of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said in a statement after the vote, “With this vote, San Francisco declared that face recognition technology is not compatible with a healthy democracy. We congratulate the city administration for listening to the voice of the people.” Cagle, other cities also called for this decision to follow.
Joel Engardio, Vice President of the crime-fighting organization Stop Crime, said that the moratorium would be more appropriate than the complete ban on face recognition technology.
Engardio, “We recognize that there are problems in face recognition technology and should not be used today. But the technology will develop and will be useful for public safety when used appropriately. We should keep our doors open to this possibility,” he said.
Since San Francisco Airport and the sea port are under the responsibility of the federal authorities, facial recognition technology will continue to be used in these areas.
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