US Bill Proposes Ban on Feds' Using Facial Recognition Technology

US Bill Proposes Ban on Feds' Using Facial Recognition Technology

US lawmakers have introduced a bill that proposes banning federal law enforcement agencies from using facial recognition and biometric surveillance technology.





The Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act of 2020 was introduced yesterday by Senators Ed Markey and Jeff Merkley. 





If passed into law, the wide-sweeping bill would make federal funding for state and local law enforcement agencies contingent on the implementation of similar tech and surveillance bans. 





Markey said the bill would prevent the use of technology that poses a physical threat to minority groups residing in the United States. In the Massachusetts senator's opinion, banning the police from using such tools is the "only responsible thing to do."





“Facial recognition technology doesn’t just pose a grave threat to our privacy, it physically endangers Black Americans and other minority populations in our country,” Markey said in a statement. 





“As we work to dismantle the systematic racism that permeates every part of our society, we can’t ignore the harms that these technologies present."





The bill proposes making it unlawful for any federal official or agency to "acquire, possess, access or use” biometric surveillance technology in the United States. It further prohibits the use of federal cash to procure this type of technology.





Use of this type of surveillance technology is not prohibited entirely under the new bill but would only be allowed if exercised with extreme caution and in adherence to a federal law containing a long list of provisions.





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