King County Council votes to ban use of facial recognition technology by government agencies

King County Council to vote on facial recognition software

The Council is expected to vote around 1 p.m. on Tuesday.

SEATTLE - The King County Council has unanimously passed a proposal that would ban government use of facial recognition software.

Studies have found that facial recognition software is often far more likely to misidentify Black or Asian faces, especially Black women, the King County Council determined, which was a deciding factor in the 9-0 vote.

"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. 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," said King County Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles, the legislation’s prime sponsor.

Facial recognition is used across the globe for a variety of purposes, from the relatively mundane, like unlocking a smartphone and tagging a friend in a social media post, to the highly sophisticated, like targeted advertising, law enforcement and surveillance.

King County is the first county and one of the largest jurisdictions in the United States to pass a ban like this, the Council said.