New York pauses use of facial recognition tech in schools

Dec. 22, 2020 – Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation on Tuesday requiring the state to do a further investigation of facial recognition technologies before they’re utilized by schools in New York.

We heard from the bill’s sponsor, Assemblymember Monica Wallace, a western New York Democrat, who wants to make sure this technology is effective and is being used appropriately before it becomes widely available. Lawmakers and Cuomo have agreed to make tweaks to the measure in 2021.

Last year we spoke with the New York Civil Liberties Union about their reservations about this technology and how collected information was being used.