Washington's largest county bans government use of facial recognition software

The most populous county in Washington state has become the first in the nation to ban government use of facial recognition software.

The most populous county in Washington state has become the first in the nation to ban government use of facial recognition software. King County, which comprises the greater Seattle area and is home to some 2.3 million people, announced Tuesday that a proposal to ban government agencies use of facial recognition software had been approved by a vote of 9-0. "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," council member Jeanne Kohl-Welles, the legislation's primary sponsor, said in a statement. "The use or misuse of these technologies has potentially devastating consequences which the new ordinance will help to prevent." Facial recognition software, especially when used by law enforcement agencies, has been embroiled in controversy for years after multiple studies pointed to the potential of racial bias and false negatives. Last summer, a Black man in Michigan was wrongfully arrested and detained after facial recognition technology incorrectly identified him as a shoplifting suspect.