Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on the day's biggest business stories
Subscribe to Axios Closer for insights into the day’s business news and trends and why they matter
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Sign up for Axios NW Arkansas
Stay up-to-date on the most important and interesting stories affecting NW Arkansas, authored by local reporters
Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
This piece has been updated to reflect that the ordinance was passed by Minneapolis City Council.
The Minneapolis City Council has banned MPD and other city departments from using facial recognition technology.
Why it matters: Opponents of the technology say it invades privacy, allows police to surveil activists and is much less accurate in identifying women and people of color, which leads to false arrests.
State of play: Minneapolis will join Los Angeles, Boston, Portland, Ore., and other cities in banning the technology.
The other side: MPD and the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association declined to comment. Drake Jamali, government relations manager for the Security Industry Association that represents the companies that make the technology, weighed in during a public hearing this week.
- "(This) ordinance strips away ... a useful tool for law enforcement in fighting identity fraud, criminal activity, thwarting malicious attacks against the public, solving hate crimes against LGBTQ community, cracking cold cases and course, rescuing over 15,000 children from human sex trafficking in just the past couple of years," Jamali said.
Yes, but: Chris Weyland, a cyber security consultant, said the technology moves us closer to an Orwellian surveillance society.
- "This technology is simply not ready to be used," he told the committee. "It has significant racial biases that seem pre-built into the software itself. And these biases can be very difficult and time consuming to ferret out."
Of note: The ban does not extend to the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office.