Bill > S05609

This bill prohibits law enforcement agencies and officers from using biometric surveillance technology, which includes any automated system that identifies or generates information about individuals using physical characteristics like facial features, fingerprints, voice, or DNA. The bill defines biometric surveillance as any process that attempts to identify individuals or generate surveillance information through automated or semi-automated means. The legislation creates a twelve-member task force charged with comprehensively studying biometric surveillance technology, including its accuracy, potential benefits and harms, and impact on different demographic groups. The task force will examine current and proposed uses of such technology in the United States and abroad, evaluate its effectiveness and potential risks, and develop recommendations for potential future regulated use, including standards for accuracy, data protection, due process, and transparency. The bill highlights significant concerns about the technology's reliability, particularly its demonstrated inaccuracy when used on women, young people, and people of color, and argues that its widespread use could violate privacy rights and potentially chill free speech and assembly. The task force is required to submit a detailed report of its findings between January 1, 2029, and January 1, 2030, after which the provisions establishing the task force will expire. Critically, the bill prohibits all current law enforcement use of biometric surveillance systems while preserving narrow exceptions for specific identification processes like fingerprint scanning during lawful detentions or DNA comparisons for forensic evidence.

Business and Industry, Housing and Urban Affairs

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S5609