Portland Bans Private Companies From Using Facial Recognition Technology in Public Spaces

On Sept. 9, Portland passed the first ban in the nation on corporate use of facial recognition software. The Portland City Council unanimously voted to ban private companies from using technology that would attempt to identify individuals based on camera images of their faces taken in public places.

The council passed two ordinances. The first one is effective immediately and applies to all city bureaus and offices. The second, effective Jan. 1, 2021, bans private entities in public spaces from using such software.

"Until now, the city of Portland has not had comprehensive privacy policies in place to ensure that the use of a technology like face recognition does not harm the civil rights and civil liberties of Portlanders," Mayor Ted Wheeler said.

Numerous Portlanders, organizations and city leaders favor the ban, citing the potential for bias and discrimination, the invasion of privacy of people dining or shopping in public, and the underdeveloped nature of the technology.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon was among many groups to publicly praise the intent of the ban. ACLU's interim executive director, Jann Carson, stated the danger this kind of technology can have when people can be  legally tracked and placed under surveillance. She applauded Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty's leadership in championing the bans.

"I refuse to sit back and watch our right to privacy and our civil rights be stripped away so that corporations can make more money," Commissioner Hardesty said. "The work is not over: Facial recognition is only one of the dangerous automated surveillance technologies being rolled out in communities across the world."