By Carolina Rabinowicz - Edited by Pablo A. Lozano

Much has been said about the discriminatory nature of facial recognition technology (FRT): FRT exhibits racial bias, FRT misidentifies women at higher rates, FRT is discriminatory by design. As a result, particular attention has been paid to government use, particularly law enforcement use, of FRT. The U.S. government is a big buyer of FRT—it has awarded $76 million in FRT-related contracts over the past twenty years. Following an increased awareness of FRT after law enforcement surveillance of Black Lives Matters protesters, various states and municipalities have made efforts to regulate government use of this technology, including Massachusetts, Vermont, New Orleans, and San Francisco. Various other states, such as Nebraska and Colorado, have considered similar proposals as well. These proposals have...