Brookline Face Surveillance Ban
Brookline, MA Town By-Law Prohibiting Face Surveillance
Brookline, MA · Town of Brookline, Mass., General By-Laws (Warrant Art. 25, 2019)
- Status
- In effect
- Applies to
- Town of Brookline departments and officials, including Brookline Police Department
- Enforced by
- Town of Brookline (internal compliance)
Brookline's Town Meeting voted 179–8 in December 2019 to ban town government use of face surveillance, making it the fifth US municipality to do so. The by-law bars town departments, including police, from obtaining or using face surveillance systems.
Who is protected: Brookline residents and visitors
Legal detail
Brookline General By-Laws face surveillance prohibition (Warrant Article 25, Dec. 11, 2019) prohibits town officials from obtaining, retaining, accessing, or using face surveillance systems or derived information; approved by the state Attorney General.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Brookline, MA |
|---|---|
| Level | City / local |
| Strength | Moderate |
| Enacted | December 11, 2019 |
| Citation | Town of Brookline, Mass., General By-Laws (Warrant Art. 25, 2019) |
| Topics | facial recognition · biometric data · police and surveillance AI · government use of AI · consumer data privacy |
| Agency page | Brookline's Face Surveillance Technology Ban Summary (Town of Brookline) |
More AI rules in Brookline, MA
- Public Schools of Brookline · In effect
Related facial recognition rules elsewhere
- Virginia § 15.2-1723.2 (facial recognition by local law enforcement, eff. July 1, 2026) · In effect
- Bristol VA PD facial recognition program (first VA local agency) · In effect
- Dallas PD Clearview AI facial recognition policy · In effect
- Ban biometric recognition in public accommodations (Ban The Scan) · Proposed / pending
- Limit facial recognition in residential buildings (Ban The Scan) · Proposed / pending
- Texas v. Google · In effect
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