(via Epic.org) – Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA), along with Rep. Yvette Clark (D-NY) today introduced legislation to limit the use of facial recognition tools for law enforcement. The Facial Recognition Act would require law enforcement to obtain a warrant before conducting facial recognition searches. It would also reduce the circumstances under which law enforcement can use facial recognition technology, including banning its use in immigration enforcement, on police body cameras, during protests and on live video channels. The Facial Recognition Act would also create transparency and reliability requirements, including through public audits and annual accuracy and bias reviews through the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
EPIC has been a leading proponent of banning facial surveillance and has supported previous legislation to stop the government’s use of facial recognition and other biometric surveillance tools that “enable mass surveillance and discriminatory selective surveillance.” . EPIC also regularly files amicus briefs advocating for authorities to phase out the use of facial recognition systems and supporting efforts to increase transparency and accountability around these technologies.
