To regulate law enforcement use of facial recognition technology, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill creates strict rules for when and how police can use facial recognition technology. It requires law enforcement to get court orders before using facial recognition databases (like DMV photos), mandates accuracy testing to prevent bias, and establishes reporting requirements to track how the technology is used.
Who Benefits and How
Civil liberties and privacy advocates benefit from stronger protections against government surveillance. Criminal defendants gain new rights including access to facial recognition evidence, notice when they were identified through the technology, and the ability to suppress improperly obtained evidence. Minority communities benefit from mandatory bias testing requirements that aim to prevent discriminatory outcomes based on race, ethnicity, gender, or age.
Who Bears the Burden and How
State and local law enforcement agencies face significant new compliance requirements including court orders before searches, detailed logging and reporting, annual accuracy audits, and potential suspension of facial recognition use if violations occur. State DMVs must post notices about facial recognition use and can only allow law enforcement access pursuant to court orders. States and localities risk losing 15% of federal criminal justice grants if they fail to comply.
Key Provisions
- Requires court orders before law enforcement can search facial recognition databases (with limited emergency exceptions)
- Prohibits facial recognition based on body cameras, dashcams, or drones, and bans face surveillance
- Mandates NIST accuracy testing and prohibits systems with significant racial/ethnic bias
- Creates private right of action with $50,000 minimum damages for violations
- Requires removal of arrest photos for minors, acquitted persons, and those released without charges
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Establishes comprehensive federal regulations on law enforcement use of facial recognition technology, including warrant requirements, civil rights protections, accuracy standards, and reporting mandates.
Key Policy Areas
Criminal Justice, Civil Rights, Privacy, Technology
Primary Purpose
Establishes comprehensive federal regulations on law enforcement use of facial recognition technology, including warrant requirements, civil rights protections, accuracy standards, and reporting mandates.
Policy Domains
General Provisions
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Civil liberties advocates
- Privacy advocates
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- State and local governments
- Law enforcement agencies
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Title I - Use of Facial Recognition by Investigative or Law Enforcement Officers
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Criminal defendants
- Civil liberties organizations
- Minority communities
- Privacy advocates
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Federal law enforcement agencies
- State law enforcement agencies
- Local law enforcement agencies
- State DMVs
- Prosecutors
- Judges
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Title II - Additional Provisions
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- NIST
- Civil rights organizations
- Research institutions
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Federal agencies using facial recognition
- Facial recognition technology vendors
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Lieu (for himself, Ms. Jackson Lee, Ms. Clarke of …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Federal law enforcement agencies, Law enforcement agencies, Law enforcement agencies subject to this Act
Arrested individuals identified via facial recognition, Criminal defendants, Immigrants and immigrant communities
Administrative Office of the United States Courts, Bureau of Justice Assistance, DOJ Civil Rights Division
Positive-direction: National Institute of Standards and Technology
Negative-direction: Administrative Office of the United States Courts, Bureau of Justice Assistance, DOJ Civil Rights Division, Federal agencies using facial recognition, Government Accountability Office
Local governments receiving federal criminal justice grants, State governments, State governments receiving federal criminal justice grants
Positive-direction: States with stricter facial recognition laws
Negative-direction: Local governments receiving federal criminal justice grants, State governments, State governments receiving federal criminal justice grants
Civil rights plaintiffs attorneys, Criminal defense attorneys
Federal judges issuing facial recognition orders, State judges issuing facial recognition orders
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_attorney_general"
- → Attorney General of the United States
- "the_prosecutor"
- → Principal prosecuting attorney of a State or political subdivision, or Federal attorney
- "the_director_bja"
- → Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance
- "the_director_aousc"
- → Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts
- "the_attorney_general"
- → Attorney General of the United States
- "the_assistant_attorney_general"
- → Assistant Attorney General of the DOJ Civil Rights Division
- "nist"
- → National Institute of Standards and Technology
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
An automated or semi-automated process that assists in identifying or verifying an individual based on the physical characteristics of their face, head, or body.
The use of facial recognition with real-time or stored video footage to track, observe, or analyze the movements of individuals.
A database populated primarily by booking or arrest photographs.
A database populated with photos of identified individuals including drivers licenses, passports, and arrest photos.
Personal data obtained in violation of law, service agreements, or through deception or unauthorized access.
Any officer empowered to conduct investigations or make arrests; excludes DMV employees.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology