Massachusetts Police Facial Recognition Use on the Rise – The technology is increasingly being used by state and local police agencies, and lawmakers are considering a proposal that would limit and regulate their acquisition and deployment.

From the article

Facial recognition systems are increasingly being used by state and local law enforcement to track down criminals and thwart security threats, which is fueling calls on Beacon Hill to set limits on the controversial technology.

At least 45 requests were submitted to state police to use facial recognition to conduct searches for criminal suspects from Sept. 1, 2023, to Sept. 30, 2024, according to newly released data from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security.

That’s a more than 200% increase over the same time period in the previous year, when the state agency fielded only 14 requests. Three years ago, only eight requests were received, according to the agency’s data.