Mass. Panel Weighs Facial Recognition Bans

Massachusetts legislators heard bills to rein in facial recognition technology at a Joint Judiciary Committee virtual hearing Tuesday. Facial recognition dangerously facilitates government surveillance, and the technology discriminates against people of color, said Senate Majority Leader Cynthia Stone Creem (D). “This is happening,” said Creem, including in Massachusetts schools where districts are using facial identification on kids without parents’ knowledge. Her bill (S-47) would ban such government ID in public locations. Police could perform a facial recognition search with a warrant or in emergencies. Several municipalities including Springfield already ban facial surveillance, said state Rep. Orlando Ramos (D) in support of his similar H-135. The tech is “inconsistent, inaccurate and overall dangerous” for people of color who are frequently misidentified, he said. Current state law regulates law enforcement but not non-police entities like schools and public transportation, he said. Regulating government use of facial recognition is a “good start,” but Rep. Dylan Fernandes (D) is more concerned about a private company using the tech for profit, he said. His H-117 would cover anyone “including corporate affiliates, that collects, stores, or processes facial recognition data,” but not government. Facial ID could have “vast consequences for our society, but there are very few rules guiding it,” said Fernandes.