The bill, called the Facial Recognition Technology Warrant Act of 2025, is aimed at regulating the use of facial recognition technology by law enforcement in Minnesota. Here are the key points addressed by the bill:

1. Definitions and Scope:

   • The bill defines terms related to the use of facial recognition technology, such as what constitutes "ongoing surveillance", which involves tracking an individual's movements continuously over 72 hours, and limits its use to recognized law enforcement activities with appropriate court orders.

2. Restrictions on Use:

   • Law enforcement can only use facial recognition technology for ongoing surveillance if they have a court order or, in urgent cases, can begin surveillance but must obtain a court order within 48 hours.
   • The use of this technology is restricted to the duration and conditions specified by the court. Typically, this surveillance should not exceed 30 days unless extended by a court.

3. Protection Measures:

   • The bill emphasizes minimizing the collection of data on individuals who are not the subject of an inquiry.
   • Individuals subjected to surveillance in violation of these rules can argue to suppress this information in court hearings.

4. Oversight:

   • Judges issuing or denying surveillance orders must report their actions to the Supreme Court, who in turn must provide annual public reports about the use and oversight of this technology.
   • These reports should include details about the requests for surveillance orders, the decisions on these requests, and statistics on the use and results of using facial recognition technology.

5. Human Review and Testing:

   • Before acting on information provided by facial recognition technology, especially in cases linked to court orders or emergencies, a trained officer must review such findings.
   • Agencies must establish testing procedures to periodically evaluate the performance and accuracy of their technology, particularly its reliability across different demographic groups.

In summary, this bill attempts to balance the benefits of using facial recognition technology in law enforcement with the need to protect individual privacy rights and to ensure that the use of such technology is judicious, justified, and well-regulated.