Police Reform Bill Bans Use of Facial Recognition on Body Cam Recordings Without Warrant

June 9, 2020

The Justice in Policing Act, a sweeping police reform bill introduced this week, includes a ban on federal law enforcement’s use of facial recognition software to scan body camera footage without a warrant. Section 372 of the bill says body cam footage may not be “subjected to facial recognition or any other form of automated analysis unless […] a judicial warrant providing authority is obtained” and the court finds "there is probable cause to believe that the requested use of facial recognition is relevant to an ongoing criminal investigation." Earlier this year, EPIC and over 40 organizations urged the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board to recommend the suspension of face surveillance systems across the federal government. And last year, the Public Voice coalition called for a global moratorium on face surveillance. Over 100 organizations and several hundred experts from over 40 countries endorsed the Public Voice declaration.

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