Washington State Privacy Bill Targets Facial Recognition

Companies would face limits in using facial recognition technology, under legislation proposed in Washington state.

Businesses would need to get permission before using an image captured in a public place and would need to notify people in advance about how their likeness would be used, under the bill unveiled Jan. 10 by state Sen. Reuven Carlyle (D).

The proposal, part of broader legislation, opens a new front in consumer advocates’ push for state privacy protections after last year’s enactment of a landmark California law.

Carlyle’s bill, dubbed the Washington Privacy Act, is the likely vehicle for any action the state’s ...