A groundbreaking proposal to ban government use of facial recognition software has been passed by the King County Council. It was approved Tuesday afternoon by a vote of 9-0. King County, home to 2.3 million people in and around Seattle, becomes the first county and one of the largest jurisdictions in the United States to pass such a ban.
The legislation, prime sponsored by Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles, aims to protect our residents’ civil liberties and freedom from government surveillance and demographic biases by prohibiting the use of such software, including by the King County Sheriff, except to comply with the National Child Search Assistance Act.
Studies have found that facial recognition software is often far more likely to misidentify Black or Asian faces, especially Black women.
“The use of facial recognition technology by government agencies poses distinct threats to our residents, including potential misidentification, bias, and the erosion of our civil liberties, said King County Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles, the legislation’s prime sponsor. “The use or misuse of these technologies has potentially devastating consequences which the new ordinance will help to prevent. I am very appreciative that my colleagues unanimously supported my legislation today banning its use in King County government agencies, and appreciate the overwhelming community support we’ve had. Our vote today makes King County the first county in the nation to pass this type of ban!”
