Two Syracuse, New York, city lawmakers have introduced legislation that would prohibit businesses from incorporating biometric tools into surveillance programs within the city. The proposal from council members Corey Williams and Jimmy Monto is part of a coordinated push at the city, county, and state levels across central New York to regulate biometric surveillance technology.
The legislation was prompted by Wegmans’ use of surveillance technology to scan customers’ faces, eyes, and voice at select locations in New York. The grocery chain’s biometric surveillance practices drew public scrutiny and catalyzed legislative action across multiple levels of government in the region.
At the state level, Senator Rachel May, whose 48th District covers most of Syracuse and surrounding areas, has separately sponsored a bill to ban biometric surveillance in places of public accommodation, including grocery stores and retail establishments. At the county level, Onondaga County legislators have introduced their own law requiring businesses to disclose whether they are using biometric surveillance cameras to scan customers’ faces and store that biometric identifier information, with financial penalties for companies that fail to comply with the disclosure requirements.
The city-level ban from Williams and Monto would be the most restrictive of the three proposals, prohibiting biometric surveillance outright rather than requiring disclosure. The coordinated city-county-state approach in central New York reflects a growing trend of jurisdictions layering regulatory measures rather than relying on a single piece of legislation to address biometric surveillance concerns.
The Syracuse proposal adds to a broader and increasingly active landscape of biometric regulation in New York. The New York City Council has considered legislation to prohibit places of public accommodation from using biometric recognition technology, with industry groups testifying against the bans and urging regulation over outright prohibition. New York State passed a law banning facial recognition in schools, though the NYCLU found that compliance has been uneven, with some districts continuing to operate biometric systems despite the prohibition.
No vote has been scheduled on the Syracuse legislation. If adopted, the city would join a growing number of U.S. municipalities that have restricted or banned the commercial use of facial recognition and other biometric surveillance technologies.
Sources: Central Current, Security Info Watch
–
By the ID Tech Editorial Team
