Portland Becomes First Jurisdiction to Ban Certain Uses of Facial Recognition by Private Businesses
The ordinance, which went into effect on January 1, 2021, is the first in the country to prohibit certain uses of these technologies by private businesses. Another ordinance banning the use and acquisition of face recognition technologies by all City of Portland bureaus and offices went into effect last September.
The ban prohibits private entities from using facial recognition technologies in places of “public accommodation” within the city of Portland. Although the ban is broad, there are notable exceptions, even for use in places of public accommodation.
