San Francisco has passed a pre-emptive city ordinance, 8 votes to 1, that prevents the city’s police force and its municipal agencies from using facial recognition technology on citizens. This is the first such ban in the USA, and we believe the same is true globally, and comes at a juncture where blood is running hot – as technology companies try to find ways to monetize cities. Sidewalk Labs, the Alphabet offshoot, is perhaps the best example of this recent struggle, but any news story that gets to take shots at the current whipping boys, using science fiction metaphors and political buzzwords, is sure to please that outlet’s advertisers. This dynamic, wherein public opinion is swayed by gleeful news coverage,…