State lawmakers want facial recognition to be regulated to protect privacy rights

State lawmakers want to know why the use of facial recognition technology by the Utah Department of Public Safety isn't regulated to protect privacy rights.

Members of the Legislature's Government Operations Interim Committee questions DPS Commissioner Jess Anderson about the program yesterday, asking him what protections were in place to ensure the system was being utilized properly.

Utah has been using the facial recognition system since 2010 and scans the state's photo identification database when other agencies make a request in criminal investigations.

Disclosure of the system has led to calls for a pause in its use while lawmakers consider what to do next.