US Reps have introduced a bill that seeks to ban Federal Law enforcement form using facial recognition technology. The move will also make it difficult for Police departments to use the technology.

The bill is called The Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act of 2020. Sen Ed Markey, Sen Jeff Merkley, Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Ayanna Pressley along with the backing of House Democrats introduced the bill to the house.

Because of the ban on federal agencies, state and local police departments will have to comply with the policy so as to receive federal grants. The bill will in effect prohibit the use of the technology till Congress passes a law that allows it in clear terms.

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“Facial recognition technology doesn’t just pose a grave threat to our privacy, it physically endangers Black Americans and other minority populations in our country. As we work to dismantle the systematic racism that permeates every part of our society, we can’t ignore the harms that these technologies present,” Sen Markey said.

The bill comes after Amazon, IBM, and Microsoft all refused to make facial recognition available to Law Enforcement. IBM on its own part put a total stop to all its facial recognition activities.

Activists see the technology as a tool for mass profiling, mass surveillance, and other freedom violations. Facial recognition is also one of the subjects and talking points of recent protests against police violence and brutality.

Boston, California, New Hampshire, and Oregon have all banned the use of the technology. The cities have also banned using it in police body cameras in what is a mass revolt against the technology.

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