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Cambridge, MA Privacy & Surveillance: Facial Recognition Ban (2026)

Heavy Restrictions

Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Governing section: Municipal Code § 2.128.075
Scope: All City staff, including police
Exception: Only inadvertent, logged receipt of data
Adopted: Ord. 1402, 12/10/2018
Effective: Nine months after adoption

Summary

Cambridge outright bans city staff, including police, from obtaining, retaining, requesting, accessing, or using Face Recognition Technology or any information derived from it. The prohibition sits in the Surveillance Technology Ordinance, Municipal Code §2.128.075, and covers every city department.

(A)Notwithstanding any other provision of this Chapter 2.128, it shall be unlawful for the City or any City staff to intentionally obtain, retain, request, access, or use:(1)Face Recognition Technology; or(2)Information obtained from Face Recognition Technology.(B)City staff's inadvertent or unintentional receipt, retention of, access of, or use of any information obtained from Face Recognition Technology shall not be a violation of this Section 2.128.075 provided that:(1)City staff did not intentionally request, retain or solicit the receipt, access of, or use of such information; and(2)City staff logs such receipt, access, or use in its Annual Surveillance Report as referenced by Section 2.128.075.

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Full Breakdown

128. 128's Surveillance Technology framework: there is no council-approval pathway that lets a department opt back in. 060. The ordinance was adopted as Ord. 100, took effect nine months after adoption. cities to adopt this kind of outright municipal ban, distinguishing it from cities that merely require council review before acquiring facial-recognition systems.

Violations & Fines

Enforcement runs through the City Manager or a designee under §2.128.080(A). A person injured by a violation of Chapter 2.128, including this ban, may seek injunctive or declaratory relief against the City of Cambridge in court, but the ordinance forecloses monetary damages for any Chapter 2.128 violation and bars claims against individual City employees.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Cambridge police use facial recognition software at all?

No. Section 2.128.075(A) makes it unlawful for the City or any City staff, including police, to intentionally obtain, retain, request, access, or use Face Recognition Technology or information derived from it, with no council-approval exception like other surveillance tech gets.

Is there any exception to Cambridge's facial recognition ban?

Only for inadvertent or unintentional receipt of facial-recognition-derived information. Staff must not have intentionally requested or solicited it, and must log the receipt or use in the department's Annual Surveillance Report under §2.128.075(B).

When did Cambridge's facial recognition ban take effect?

The Council adopted the ban as Ordinance 1402 on December 10, 2018, and section 2.128.100 sets the effective date at nine months after adoption.

Sources & Official References

[1]Cambridge, MA Code of Ordinances § 2.128.075 (Municode)

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