Take action now: tell your legislators to ban biometric surveillance
New York State Campaign

Four bills. One statewide ban.

Four bills moving through the New York State Legislature would ban the use of facial recognition and biometric surveillance by law enforcement, landlords, public accommodations, and schools statewide. Here's what each bill does, and how to tell your state legislators to pass them.

The Legislation

What these four bills actually do.

All four bills currently have companion versions in the State Senate and Assembly.

S5609 / A1045 Introduced, In Committee

Ban on Law Enforcement Use of Biometric Surveillance

Sponsored by Sen. Julia Salazar and Assembly Member Deborah Glick. Reviewed by the Senate Internet and Technology Committee and the Assembly Committee on Governmental Operations.

Prohibits state and local law enforcement agencies from using facial recognition and other biometric surveillance technologies for investigative purposes, closing the gap left by agencies like the NYPD that currently set their own rules for when and how to use this technology.

Read the Bill Text → Relevant Media → Memos of Support →
S8223 / A6363 Introduced, In Committee

Ban on Landlord Use of Facial Recognition

Sponsored by Sen. Brian Kavanagh and Assembly Member Latrice Walker. Reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Assembly Committee on Housing.

Prohibits landlords and residential building owners from requiring tenants to use facial recognition or other biometric systems to enter their own homes, and bars the collection of biometric data as a condition of tenancy.

Read the Bill Text → Relevant Media → Memos of Support →
S8004 / A6211 Introduced, In Committee

Ban on Biometric Surveillance in Public Accommodations

Sponsored by Sen. Rachel May and Assembly Member Tony Simone. Reviewed by the Senate Investigations and Governmental Operations Committee and the Assembly Governmental Operations Committee.

Prohibits stores, arenas, and other places of public accommodation from using facial recognition or biometric surveillance to identify, track, or exclude customers, the practice already used by retailers like Wegmans and Rite Aid, and by venues like Madison Square Garden.

Read the Bill Text → Relevant Media → Memos of Support →
S9643 / A6720 Introduced, In Committee

Ban on Facial Recognition in Schools

Sponsored by Sen. John Liu and Assembly Member Tony Simone. Reviewed by the Senate Internet and Technology Committee and the Assembly Education Committee.

Prohibits New York schools from using facial recognition technology on students, teachers, or staff, protecting kids from being tracked by error-prone surveillance systems in the places they're required to be every day.

Read the Bill Text → Relevant Media → Memos of Support →

Take Action

Sign the New York State petition.

Add your name to tell state legislators to pass all four bills this session.

Campaign Documents

Sign-on letters and memos of support.

Current-session support memos and prior-session campaign documents archived from the original Ban the Scan website.

State Package Sign-On Letter

Law Enforcement Biometrics Ban

Residential Facial Recognition Ban

Public Accommodations Biometrics Ban

School Biometrics Ban

Represent an organization? Sign on to our statewide coalition letter.

Sign On Your Organization

Get Involved

Contact your state legislators.

Signing the petition matters, but a direct call or email to your own State Senator and Assemblymember carries the most weight in Albany. Here's how in three steps.

01

Find Your Legislators

Look up your State Senator and Assemblymember. You'll need both, since these bills need companion votes in each chamber.

Find My State Senator Find My Assemblymember
02

Call or Email

A short, personal call takes two minutes and is one of the most effective things you can do. Use this script, or send the email template:

“Hi, my name is ___ and I'm a constituent from [neighborhood/zip]. I'm calling to ask [Senator/Assemblymember name] to co-sponsor and vote yes on S5609/A1045, S8223/A6363, S8004/A6211, and S9643/A6720 to ban discriminatory biometric surveillance in New York State.”
Get the Email Template
03

Show Up

Attend a hearing or coalition day of action in Albany.

Join Our Action Alerts

Fighting On Two Fronts

There's a City Campaign too.

NYC Council bills would ban biometric surveillance in public accommodations, residential buildings, and by city government. See the details and sign that petition too.

View the City Campaign

Stay Involved

Don't miss a hearing date.

Get email updates as these four bills move through the State Legislature: hearing dates, votes, and moments when your call matters most.

Why This Matters