Time and time again, surveillance technologies, like Amazon’s facial recognition software, Rekognition, are used to target Black communities, immigrants, poor people, religious minorities, and communities of color. Other surveillance technologies, like automated license plate readers, have already put the lives of Black San Franciscans in danger, such as when the San Francisco police held a Black woman at gunpoint because of a false reading from their machine.    

But soon, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors will vote on the Stop Secret Surveillance Ordinance, legislation that would regulate police use of discriminatory surveillance technologies. The Ordinance will: 

1. Ensure community members are part of important decisions regarding surveillance by offering the opportunity for public scrutiny by San Franciscans.
2. Ensure democratic debate and oversight for surveillance technology decisions by requiring San Francisco agencies to explain what the surveillance technologies will be used for and how they’ll be used.
3. Protect San Franciscans from dangerous and biased surveillance technology by banning San Francisco agencies from acquiring or using facial recognition technologies.
4. Ensure the San Francisco Sheriff and District Attorney are subject to democratic oversight by ensuring the Sheriff and District Attorney are fully covered by its requirements.

We must protect the safety of our communities. The stakes are too high to continue to allow law enforcement agencies with histories of anti-Black discrimination access to these powerful technologies. The Stop Secret Surveillance Ordinance is a crucial step towards ensuring Black people, immigrants, religious minorities, and poor people are not unduly targeted, or subjected to over-policing because of discriminatory surveillance programs.