Supervisors approve surveillance-technology ordinance on first reading after amendments

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on May 14 passed on first reading an ordinance that would require city departments to develop and publicly post use policies for surveillance technology and would bar the local use of facial recognition.

The ordinance, introduced by Supervisor Aaron Peskin, passed after an 8–1 vote following several amendments. “Put simply, this ordinance would require city departments who purchase access or use surveillance technology to develop use policies for that technology through a public vetting process and to make those policies available on a public website,” Peskin said in introducing the measure. He and supporters said the rules would cover retention periods, access, and third-party sharing.

The ordinance grew from months of committee hearings and amendments. Peskin described the bill as focused “on having accountability around surveillance technology,” and said it is not intended to ban technologies generally but to ensure transparency and…