King County, WA (home to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport) — King County Facial Recognition Technology Ban (Ordinance 2021)
King County, WA (home to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport) · King County Facial Recognition Technology Ban (Ordinance 2021)
King County (which operates Sea-Tac's environs and the Sheriff's Office) became the first U.S. county to ban all county-agency use of facial recognition, though federal CBP use at Sea-Tac is unaffected.
Technical detail
King County (which operates Sea-Tac's environs and the Sheriff's Office) became the first U.S. county to ban all county-agency use of facial recognition, though federal CBP use at Sea-Tac is unaffected.
Who is protected: People subject to this body's AI/surveillance systems.
Who must comply: King County, WA (home to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport)
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | King County, WA (home to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport) |
|---|---|
| Level | County |
| Status | In effect |
| Protection strength | Limited protection |
| Effective date | 2021-06-01 |
| Citation | King County Facial Recognition Technology Ban (Ordinance 2021) |
| Topics | facial recognition · biometric data · consumer data privacy · government use of AI · police and surveillance AI |
| Last verified | 2026-07-01 |
| Official source | King County, Washington, bans facial recognition (StateScoop) ↗ |
Related facial recognition rules elsewhere
- 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
- Montgomery County MD Police Directive FC 0627 · In effect
- Arlington County VA ACPD Automated License Plate Reader · In effect
- Montgomery County MD AI Governance Framework · In effect
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