Voters in Portland, Maine, have voted for a ban on facial surveillance software being used by authorities, the Bangor Daily News reported Tuesday.

“An Act to Ban Facial Surveillance by Public Officials in Portland will ban the city of Portland and its departments and officials from using or authorizing the use of any facial surveillance software on any groups or member of the public, and provides a right to members of the public to sue if facial surveillance data is illegally gathered and/or used,” the initiative stated.

In August, members of the public voted against the use of such technology, but the latest initiative will mean it remains in place for five years. It also means that citizens can sue the city and receive at least $1,000 if they are surveilled by facial recognition software.

The technology has always met with a lot of resistance from the public, with the outcry leading some tech companies to question their involvement in it. In June this year, IBM Corp. announced its departure from the facial recognition market due to concerns over discrimination and racial injustice. Amazon Web Services Inc. as well as Microsoft Corp. have stated similar concerns, saying this year that they would no longer sell the software to police.

Portland, Maine isn’t the only city to ban the use of facial recognition technology. Last year, San Francisco unanimously voted in favor of the “Stop Secret Surveillance Ordinance” plan. At the time the city supervisor behind the plan called the tech “uniquely dangerous and oppressive.” The software is also banned in Boston and Portland, Oregon.

In June this year, a bill was introduced by Democrats that if passed would ban facial recognition surveillance software at the federal level. “The Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act of 2020” asks that federal agencies not use the tech. It will also put state and local police departments in a difficult position if they want to receive federal grants. In other words, if the bill is passed, there would be an outright ban on the technology.

Photo: Ben Fruen/Flickr