Protection Against Mass Surveillance Act

Key Points

• The bill would stop federal agencies from buying, deploying, or using automated surveillance tools that track or identify people, including facial recognition, license plate readers like Flock Safety cameras, and biometric scanners.
• State, local, and Tribal governments would be banned from using federal money to buy or run these same surveillance systems, which could affect police departments that rely on federal grants for camera networks.
• Any data collected in violation of the ban must be deleted within 30 days, and that data cannot be used as evidence in court or administrative proceedings.
• The bill covers a broad range of biometric identifiers, including fingerprints, iris and retinal scans, voice, and gait recognition, as well as any technology used for persistent or mass surveillance of people's images or personal information.