Overview

• San Francisco and Austin police departments have bypassed local facial recognition bans by requesting searches from other cities.
• Since 2019, SFPD made at least five facial recognition requests, none resulting in matches.
• Austin police made 13 such requests since 2020, with some resulting in arrests.
• Officials claim these searches were unauthorized, with no disciplinary actions reported.
• Concerns rise over transparency and accountability in law enforcement's use of banned technologies.