Madison Face Surveillance Ban
Madison, WI Ordinance Banning Face Surveillance by City Agencies
Madison, WI · Madison, Wis., Gen. Ordinances §§ 23.63–23.64
- Status
- In effect
- Applies to
- City of Madison agencies, including Madison Police Department
- Enforced by
- Madison Common Council (annual compliance reports)
Madison bans city agencies, including police, from acquiring or using facial recognition technology, with narrow exceptions for identifying victims of human trafficking, child sexual exploitation, and missing children. Works alongside the city's surveillance technology ordinance requiring annual compliance reports.
Who is protected: Madison residents and visitors
Legal detail
Madison General Ordinances § 23.64 (adopted Dec. 1, 2020, 17–2) prohibits city agency acquisition and use of face surveillance with enumerated child-protection/trafficking-victim exceptions; companion § 23.63 governs surveillance technology use and reporting.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Madison, WI |
|---|---|
| Level | City / local |
| Strength | Moderate |
| Enacted | December 1, 2020 |
| Citation | Madison, Wis., Gen. Ordinances §§ 23.63–23.64 |
| Topics | facial recognition · biometric data · police and surveillance AI · government use of AI · consumer data privacy |
| Agency page | City of Madison — Surveillance Technology Ordinance compliance |
More AI rules in Madison, WI
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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