San Francisco’s face-tech ban

SAN Francisco, home of Silicon Valley, has banned police and government bodies from using facial recognition technology.

The California city became the first in the US to take such a step, claiming the technology could ‘threaten our ability to live free of continuous government monitoring’.

The ban, part of wider legislation on surveillance systems, does not cover airports or other areas regulated by the US federal government.

Critics fear facial recognition infringes on privacy – but supporters say it can do everything from help find missing children to prevent sex trafficking.