A bill that would give Washington state consumers new data privacy rights and establish regulations on companies developing facial recognition technology passed in the state Senate on Friday.
The bill would require companies that process large amounts of personal data to allow consumers in Washington state to access, correct, delete, and transfer that information. It would also compel companies that develop facial recognition software, like Microsoft and Amazon, to make their APIs available for third-party testing to determine whether there are issues of accuracy or bias.
The legislation now has to clear the House in Washington state in order to become law. If that happens, Washington will follow California and the European Union as pioneers in data privacy regulation.
