Bill Bowed to Ban Government Biometrics Use
Federal agencies would be barred from using facial recognition technology and other biometric tech such as voice recognition, while grants to states and localities would be conditioned on similar moratoriums, under the Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act introduced…
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Tuesday by Democrats. Sponsoring the bill were Sens. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden of Oregon, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and Reps. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, as well as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. “We do not have to forgo privacy and justice for safety,” Markey said. Pointing to indications of higher levels of facial recognition inaccuracy with racial minorities, he said the bill “is about rooting out systemic racism and stopping invasive technologies from becoming irreversibly imbedded in our society.” The legislation “is an important step to halt government use of face recognition technology,” ACLU Senior Legislative Counsel Kate Ruane said “Giving law enforcement even more powerful surveillance technology empowers constant surveillance” and harms racial equity. Markey introduced similar legislation in 2020, which never left the Senate Judiciary Committee.