After San Francisco in May placed new controls, including a ban on facial recognition, on municipal surveillance, city employees began taking stock of what technology agencies already owned. They quickly learned that the city owned a lot of facial recognition technology--much of it in workers' pockets. City-issued iPhones equipped with Apple's signature unlock feature, Face ID, were now illegal--even if the feature was turned off, says Lee Hepner, an aide to supervisor Aaron Peskin, the member of the local Board of Supervisors who spearheaded the ban. Around the same time, police department staffers scurried to disable a facial recognition system for searching mug shots that was unknown to the public or Peskin's office. The department called South Carolina's DataWorks Plus and asked it to disable facial recognition software the city had acquired from the company, according to company vice president Todd Pastorini.

San Francisco quietly amends its municipal surveillance legislation to permit for Apple's Face ID, although the ban on facial recognition nonetheless applies. After San Francisco in Might positioned new controls, together with a ban on facial recognition, on municipal surveillance, metropolis workers started taking inventory of what know-how businesses already owned. They shortly realized that the town owned numerous facial recognition know-how--a lot of it in employees' pockets. Metropolis-issued iPhones geared up with Apple's signature unlock characteristic, Face ID, had been now unlawful--even when the characteristic was turned off, says Lee Hepner, an aide to supervisor Aaron Peskin, the member of the native Board of Supervisors who spearheaded the ban. Across the similar time, police division staffers scurried to disable a facial recognition system for looking out mug pictures that was unknown to the general public or Peskin's workplace.

If a local tech industry critic has his way, San Francisco could become the first US city to ban its agencies from using facial recognition technology. Aaron Peskin, a member of the city's Board of Supervisors, proposed the ban Tuesday as part of a suite of rules to enhance surveillance oversight. In addition to the ban on facial recognition technology, the ordinance would require city agencies to gain the board's approval before buying new surveillance technology, putting the burden on city agencies to publicly explain why they want the tools as well as the potential harms. It would also require an audit of any existing surveillance tech--things like gunshot-detection systems, surveillance cameras, or automatic license plate readers--in use by the city; officials would have to report annually on how the technology was used, community complaints, and with whom they share the data. Those rules would follow similar ordinances passed in nearby Oakland and Santa Clara County.