King County, Wash., Delays Vote on Facial Recognition Ban The King County Council is postponing a vote on whether to ban facial recognition technology, citing the need for more research on the controversial topic. The council plans to revisit the issue May 19. May 06, 2021 • Shutterstock/varuna (TNS) — The Metropolitan King County Council on Wednesday delayed a much-anticipated vote concerning a ban on facial recognition technology, citing a need for additional research on the proposal's potential to prevent the use of the tool in finding missing children. The County Council plans to revisit and vote on the issue May 19. The proposal would prohibit the acquisition and use of facial recognition technology and its content by King County government, including by the King County Sheriff's Office. Exceptions to the ban include unsolicited access to facial recognition technology given to a county department. For instance, an outside law enforcement agency would be permitted to send facial recognition information to the Sheriff's Office for investigation purposes only if the county department did not request it. The ban would not apply to the use of facial recognition technology by cities within King County, residents, schools or organizations.