May 14, 2019 - Technology

San Francisco becomes first major U.S. city to ban facial recognition tech

Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday authorized the first ban in a major U.S. city for the use of facial recognition technology by police and municipal agencies.

Why it matters, according to Axios' Kaveh Waddell: This will be the strongest oversight of government facial recognition in the U.S., and it could set the pace for other cities considering similar measures.

The big picture: The technology is used for police investigations across the country — though not currently in San Francisco — but critics say it's too inaccurate and can be abused. “The thrust of this legislation is not to get rid of surveillance technology. It’s to let the government and the public know how that technology is used," said supervisor Aaron Peskin, who introduced the bill.

Details: The Stop Secret Surveillance Ordinance bill is twofold:

  1. It bans face recognition tech by the city government.
  2. It requires departments that want to use the technology to first submit proposals and post public notices.

But, but, but: Federal law enforcement is exempt, so airport authorities like TSA would be unaffected by the measure.

Go deeper: The facial recognition face-off

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Axios
Updated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 3 a.m. ET: 33,976,447 — Total deaths: 1,014,266 — Total recoveries: 23,644,023 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 3 a.m. ET: 7,233,945 — Total deaths: 206,959 — Total recoveries: 2,840,688 — Total tests: 103,939,667 — Map.
  3. Education: School-aged children now make up 10% of all U.S COVID-19 cases.
  4. Health: Moderna says its coronavirus vaccine won't be ready until 2021
  5. Travel: CDC: 3,689 COVID-19 or coronavirus-like cases found on cruise ships in U.S. waters — Airlines begin mass layoffs while clinging to hope for federal aid
  6. Business: Real-time data show economy's rebound slowing but still going.
  7. Sports: Steelers-Titans NFL game delayed after coronavirus outbreak.
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Axios
Updated 2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Trump signs stopgap bill to prevent government shutdown

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel and President Trump arrives at the U.S. Capitol in March. Photo: Samuel Corum/Getty Images

President Trump signed a bill to extend current levels of government funding after funding expired briefly, White House spokesperson Judd Deere confirmed early Thursday.

Why it matters: The move averts a government shutdown before the Nov. 3 election. The Senate on Wednesday passed the legislation to fund the federal government through Dec. 11, by a vote of 84-10.

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Rebecca Falconer
Updated 3 hours ago - Science

In photos: Deadly wildfires devastate California's wine country

The Shady Fire ravages a home as it approaches Santa Rosa in Napa County, California, on Sept. 28. The blaze is part of the massive Glass Fire Complex, which has razed over 51,620 acres at 2% containment. Photo: Samuel Corum/Agence France-Presse/AFP via Getty Images

More than 1,700 firefighters are battling 26 major wildfires across California, including in the heart of the wine country, where one mega-blaze claimed the lives of three people and forced thousands of others to evacuate this week.

The big picture: More than 8,100 wildfires have burned across a record 3.9 million-plus acres, killing 29 people and razing almost 7,900 structures in California this year, per Cal Fire. Just like the deadly blazes of 2017, the wine country has become a wildfires epicenter. Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency in Napa, Sonoma, and Shasta counties.

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