Capitol Hill at sunset

New Bill Would Require Federal Law Enforcement To Obtain Warrant Before Using Facial Recognition

The bipartisan legislation would prevent “abuse” of the surveillance tool by federal authorities, according to Sens. Chris Coons and Mike Lee.

Following ongoing scrutiny of the use of facial recognition technology by police and the government, two senators have introduced a bill requiring federal law enforcement to obtain a warrant before using the software to conduct public surveillance.

Sens. Chris Coons (D-Delaware) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) introduced The Facial Recognition Technology Warrant Act on Nov. 14 as part of an effort to regulate how authorities can use the tool, which has been criticized as invasive and less accurate when identifying people of color and women.

In a statement, Coons and Lee said that facial recognition can be a valuable tool for police but could “violate the privacy of individual Americans” if used improperly. While introducing the bill, Lee said that Americans deserve protection from “facial recognition abuse.”

“Right now, there is a lack of uniformity when it comes to how, when, and where the federal government deploys facial recognition technology,” Coons said. “This bipartisan bill strikes the right balance by making sure law enforcement has the tools necessary to keep us safe while also protecting fundamental Fourth Amendment privacy rights.”

The legislation has already earned some industry support, including from the government affairs office at Microsoft. Security companies have urged regulation of facial recognition over outright bans like the ones that have been passed in cities like San Francisco and Oakland earlier this year. (The Security Industry Association has not yet released a statement about the new legislation).

“The bill provides clarity for law enforcement to be transparent about its use of facial recognition technology, both for human review when facial recognition is in use and testing for accuracy,” Fred Humphries, the corporate vice president of U.S. government affairs at Microsoft, said in a statement. “We’re grateful for the Senators’ leadership and are encouraged to see introduction of a new legal framework.”

Critics of facial recognition say the bill does not go far enough, including the ACLU, which has been behind major advocacy efforts to ban facial recognition. Neema Singh Guliani, the senior legislative counsel for the ACLU, told The Hill that the bill would still authorize the “invasive, persistent, and dystopian surveillance” of communities across the country.

“The bill falls woefully short of protecting people's privacy rights and is inconsistent with existing Supreme Court precedent,” Guliani said. “Congress should put brakes on this technology, not ineffective band-aids."

About the Author

Haley Samsel is an Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

  • Live From ISC West: Day 2 Recap

    If it’s even possible, Day 2 of ISC West in Las Vegas, Nevada, was even busier than the first. Remember to keep tabs on our Live From ISC West page for news and updates from the show floor at the Venetian, because there’s more news coming out than anyone could be expected to keep track of. Our Live From sponsors—NAPCO Security, Alibi Security, Vistacom, RGB Spectrum, and DoorKing—kept the momentum from Day 1 going with packed booths, happy hours, giveaways, product demonstrations, and more. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • ISC West
  • Visiting Sin City

    I’m a recovering alcoholic, ten years sober this June. I almost wrote “recovered alcoholic,” because it’s a problem I’ve long since put to bed in every practical sense. But anyone who’s dealt with addiction knows that that part of your brain never goes away. You just learn to tell the difference between that insidious voice in your head and your actual internal monologue, and you get better at telling the other guy to shut up. Read Now

  • On My Way Out the Door

    To answer that one question I always get, at every booth visit, I have seen amazing product technology, solutions and above all else, the people that make it all work. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • ISC West
  • Return to Form

    My first security trade show was in 2021. At the time, I was awed by the sheer magnitude of the event and the spectacle of products on display. But this was the first major trade show coming out of the pandemic, and the only commentary I heard was how low the attendance was. Two representatives from one booth even spent the last morning playing catch in the aisle with their giveaway stress balls. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • ISC West

Featured Cybersecurity

New Products

  • BIO-key MobileAuth

    BIO-key MobileAuth

    BIO-key International has introduced its new mobile app, BIO-key MobileAuth™ with PalmPositive™ the latest among over sixteen strong authentication factors available for BIO-key's PortalGuard® Identity-as-a-Service (IDaaS) platform. 3

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation. 3

  • HID Signo Readers

    HID Signo Readers

    HID Global has announced its HID® Signo™ Biometric Reader 25B that is designed to capture and read fingerprints in real-world applications and conditions. 3