And just the PRO started using it | San Francisco pro …

An ordinance bursts into the debate for the surveillance state, at a time when countries are fighting to announce facial recognition systems guaranteeing the supposed improvement in security. At the heart of the technology industry, San Francisco has banned this type of software for privacy and civil liberties. The city was the first to end this image or video identification program, which began to be used in China and has already proven itself in all regions of the world, including Buenos Aires.

Government agencies will no longer be able to scan the faces of people with security cameras, after the city council felt that their use would open the door to increased state repression, as was the case. verified in some of the countries that have already put it into operation. Just a few weeks ago, the Buenos Aires government announced with great fanfare a façade recognition program for Prófugos, which will feature 300 rotating cameras to identify citizens. It's the same technology that has now questioned San Francisco justice.

"With this vote, San Francisco said that surveillance technology was incompatible with a healthy democracy and that people deserved a voice in the decisions regarding advanced surveillance," said the US-based union activist. Civil Liberties, Matt Cagle, in an interview. Interview with the Financial Times. Although the ordinance does not affect the entire US, the ban in this city resonates well where were born the world's most powerful technology companies, such as Google and Facebook, whose engineers pioneered the design of detection and reconnaissance systems. Faces for commercial and consumer use. Therefore, many experts say that it is a big warning for everyone. "The fact that a community in which they create the systems are the first to prohibit shows the serious damage caused by this type of technology," they say.

The ordinance will also require that all new surveillance equipment be approved by municipal leaders, who may request measures "to verify that mandatory civil rights and civil liberties guarantees have been strictly observed".

"We can have security without being a state of security, we can have good surveillance without being a police state," said supervisor Aaron Peskin, who drafted the legislation. The lawyer emphasized the importance of creating a climate of trust with the community based on good information and "not Big Brother technology". Studies have shown that systems failed and functioned less accurately in the recognition of African Americans, which increased the risk of misidentification.