Oakland Is Now The Third US City To Ban The Use Of Facial Recognition Technology

In some parts of the world, facial recognition technology has been employed for use in public spaces. This has resulted in people feeling uncomfortable as they go about their daily lives. After all, we all want to be afforded some measure of privacy, right? For those who do love their privacy, perhaps Oakland, California could be considered if you want to move cities.

This is because the city has recently passed and ordinance in which it prohibits the use of facial recognition technology. This is because the city feels that such technology can be inaccurate and can also come across as invasive. According to Council President Rebecca Kaplan, “Face recognition technology runs the risk of making Oakland residents less safe as the misidentification of individuals could lead to the misuse of force, false incarceration, and minority-based persecution.”

Oakland is not the first city in the US to ban the use of the technology. Previously, San Francisco and Somerville also passed laws that bans the use of the tech in public spaces. In fact, the state of California is also considering a legislature in which it would prohibit facial recognition technology being used in police body cameras.

While there is no doubt an advantage to the tech, as we said, there are concerns over privacy. Whether or not other cities or states plan to follow suit remains to be seen.

Tyler Lee
Categories: General
Tags: Legal, Privacy