Biometric surveillance stories

Sep 25, 2026

Markey, Merkley, Jayapal, Tlaib, Pressley reintroduce bill to halt government use of facial recognition

Senator Edward Markey, Senator Jeff Merkley, and Representatives Pramila Jayapal, Rashida Tlaib, and Ayanna Pressley announced the reintroduction of the Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act on September 25, 2026, seeking to halt government use of facial recognition and other biometric technology.

Sep 25, 20262 sources

Aug 27, 2026

Australia considers new privacy laws for smart glasses as crossbenchers push import ban

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has backed new laws to regulate algorithms and privacy concerns around smart glasses, while crossbenchers push for an import ban on low-cost devices being used to film people without consent. Australia's online safety regulator has urged manufacturers to automatically blur faces and make filming more obvious.

Aug 27, 20263 sources

Top claims

▪The Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act is endorsed by advocacy groups including the American Civil Liberties Union, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Fight for the Future, and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
▪The Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act proposes a prohibition on the use of facial recognition, voice recognition, and gait recognition by federal entities unless authorized by an act of Congress.
▪The Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act is cosponsored by Senators Ron Wyden and Elizabeth Warren, alongside Representatives Greg Casar, Judy Chu, Jim McGovern, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Delia Ramirez, and Jan Schakowsky.

People involved

Anthony Albanese

Subtopics

AI privacy & surveillance2 AI regulation & lawsuits2 Civil liberties1 Facial recognition technology bans1

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